Core Issues: Season Four
by Nicolle
Summary: People all over the multiverse are walking through doors in one timeline and ending up in another. Can Gaster!Sans and Army!Frisk figure out what's going on before whatever is causing the anomalies reaches its endgame?
1. Ep1 The More Things Change

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

1\. And here's another season of Core Issues! As in the past, I will post an episode the Thursday after the first draft of the next episode is finished. This is typically weekly.

2\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

3\. Today, Dec. 15th, 2016 marks the first official anniversary of Core Issues! Yes, I know that the very first story appeared on ffnet on 12/19/2016, but this day in history, one year ago, was the day I showed the original story to Borurou, the creator of G!Sans.

Ep. 1 - The More Things Change...

A vibration on my sternum jolted me awake. I sat up and my phone slipped between my ribs, hitting the couch. I sighed, picked it up, and flinched at the brightness of the screen.

"It's three in the morning, Blue."

He knew, like most Sans, I didn't go to sleep until one in the morning. I swiped the message away and paused for a moment to gaze at the photo I was using for a wallpaper: Frisk sunning herself at the beach while the kids played in the sand. Smiling, I tapped the power button to turn off the screen before shoving the phone in my pocket. I looked around for a bottle of Red Hot sauce, found one on the coffee table, and took a swig. I sighed contentedly at the burning sensation on my tongue.

I'd fallen asleep on the couch in the living room, as normal, but for the first time in a long time, I wasn't woken up by my children jumping on top of me. The kitchen light glowed, sending a rectangular swath across Frisk's vintage, cherry wood, dining table. A quick peek revealed Asriel yawning as he prepped the custard for French toast in the morning. He noticed me watching and gave me a sleepy wave as he set the blender to run, using the counter to hold himself upright in an attempt to refuse sleep. In a few minutes, the goat king would pass out on the trundle in the kids' room, sleeping until they woke their uncle for breakfast. Or cuddled him. For a big, intimidating, goat monster, he had pretty soft fur.

The red glow that accompanied C's hologram beckoned me to the kitchen table. It blinked out suddenly as Frisk murmured ascent into her phone. She smiled up at me from the table, still in her pink floral nightgown as her pen scribbled across the paper under her hand. Her long hair lay across her back and hung loose over the back of the turquoise blue chair she'd salvaged from a defunct 50's diner.

I waved the bottle of Red Hot at her. "Thanks for the refill, Babe."

She put down her phone. "Thank Az. He bought you an entire flat yesterday."

I gave the goat prince a salute only to have him sleepily wave me off. He put the custard in the fridge and wandered out the door to the kid's bedroom.

"Where is Blue sending us now?"

She smiled.

I walked up behind her, grabbing the kid's hair brush from the shelf over the table to brush her hair before braiding it down. "What?"

Frisk relaxed, letting me handle the work. "Just happy to be back on missions full time."

Finishing up the braid, I tied it off with an elastic band that had previously been wound around the brush handle. "Getting tired of Cross showing you up in the field?"

She snorted as she stood. "Please. I am a far better agent then he is." She gave me a bright smile. "Just happy to spend more time with you."

I put my hands on her waist and smirked. "You just wanted to be back in uniform."

Frisk rolled those beautiful blue eyes. "Yeah. You caught me." She ran a finger down my fur lined, leather bomber jacket, admiring it. "But it looks better on me."

I pulled her against me with a huff. "I own this look."

She blushed at the sudden closeness. Even after all these years, she still flushed at my touch, my nearness. Deciding to tease, I pulled the slip of paper from her hand and glanced at the equations in her neat script. "Any details?"

Frisk pouted, miffed at the sudden change in our 'relational momentum.' "Just that Fase isolated an anomaly." She frowned, her expression moving back onto mission. "No one's called for help, but she's pretty sure that's because the Sans involved is the one causing the anomaly."

I nodded. "Standard op, then?"

"As soon as I gear up."

Her legs were unsteady as she stepped toward the door and I grabbed her arm to steady her. "Woah there, Sunflower. Why were you up this late?"

Frisk shook herself a little. "I wasn't. I'm just groggy from waking up too early."

Following her out the apartment door, I was careful to shut it tightly behind me. I slid down the banister on my rear and waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. "Aaah. I thought you'd be tired from all the 'snu-snu.'"

She groaned. "I am not letting you watch Futurama anymore." She opened the door to the equipment room and dropped her nightgown on a bench to change into her armor reinforced uniform.

"You always threaten that and never follow up." I leaned against the door, giving her my best, lecherous smile. An easy thing to do since I was getting something of a show while she dressed. "So, no 'Netflix and Chill' this weekend?"

Frisk picked up her jacket, the one that was a replica of mine, and put it on. "I'm going to pound you into the floor now."

"Bow chicka bow wow!"

When Frisk reached for me, I grabbed her arm and pulled her against my rib cage. She flushed again as the phalanges of my left hand slid around the back of her head. Being careful not to touch her implants, I pulled her mouth to mine. Her hands slid up to fist my jacket before I pulled back.

"Ready?"

Frisk smiled bright and beautiful as she nodded. I slipped an arm around her waist as she pulled up the collar of her dark turtleneck to cover the back of her neck. Something she'd only started doing again since the 'favor' for her former CO. C's chip had been damaged beyond repair and the hit she'd taken meant several of the implants had to be replaced. I could make out the thin blue lines traveling around her neck and up to the edges of her cheeks under her skin. C's new A.I. chip had ten times the computing power of the last, so the replacement was long overdue, but Frisk was always careful of him and the damage striking it might cause either of them.

Lifting my left hand, I turned it so instead of seeing through the hole, I was gazing into my very own, very personal, rift in time and space. In the darkness I could see the twinkle of other timelines like stars in the night sky. I solved the equations, the math humming warmly in my head. The darkness in that space parted and pulled us into the void. We landed outside a violet brick house made from the clay unique to the cavern floor in the Ruins. It was the same clay that sustained the golden flowers that grew in the only place here light reached. I would have called the place Asriel's in my timeline, but it was consistently Toriel's in just about every other.

Before I could knock on the door, a bright yellow, and very familiar, flower monster appeared in front of me.

"Well it's about time! Where have you two been?" Flowey paused looking at us. "Wait. You are not my Smiley Trash bag and you sure as hell aren't my Frisk." Thick green vines covered in thorns burst from the ground to surround us, though not close enough to attack just yet, just threaten. "Who are you?"

Frisk raised an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was doing a great impression of the goat king. "We're Seraph Agents investigating an anomaly and before you do anything, you might want to check my LOVE."

Flowey blinked and then blanched with a hiss. The vines slid away with a loud rumble and disappeared under the ground. He gave Frisk a wicked little smile. "Well aren't you just a bucket full of murder! So how many tries did it take before you ended your Comedian?"

Frisk inclined her head toward me. "I didn't end him. Though we have thrown down on the training floor."

Flowey disappeared and reappeared back a ways from us. "This isn't right. I've seen Seraph agents before, but never human ones with that level of violence. You are way too happy. What's happening here?"

"I'm former military and my command provided amazing mental health care after the war." She gestured to him, welcoming him to offer information. "Want to fill us in on what's going on?"

Flowey dove into the ground and reappeared in front of us. "Sans disappeared a week ago. Frisk went looking for him and hasn't come back."

"Is the barrier open?" I asked.

The flower shook his yellow petals. "No. Frisk reset just before Sans disappeared. I'm not sure why. He refused to explain. The Trashbag certainly wasn't saying anything."

"Has Frisk killed anyone?" Frisk asked.

Another shake, though this time he looked more like Asriel then Flowey. "No. When Sans didn't meet him at the bridge, he broke script, and disappeared as well."

Frisk and I looked at each other. "Check the workshop."

"What workshop?!" Flowey yelled. Yeah. Flowey's never liked it when you pointed out information they didn't already know.

I shook my skull. "Is your mother in the house?"

Flowey frowned viciously. "Don't call her that!" he barked.

I shrugged. "Fair enough. The question stands."

Flowey drooped, looking again like Asriel. "Yeah."

I put an arm around Frisk and short cut us to the Skele-bros' house. The lights were on inside, but a check of the windows revealed the house was empty but for a small, white, annoying dog. He was chewing away on one of the bones Papyrus stored for his special attack. I pulled out my keys and tried the lock on this world's version of my old workshop. To my surprise, the lock turned and the door popped open. I flipped on the light and looked around. The lab was cleaned out. The time machine, the blue prints, everything was gone. The tile flooring had even been mopped and shined.

Wow. A Sans who actually cleaned. That made two of us!

I stepped outside and pulled the door shut, triggering the lock. "It's cleaned out."

Flowey appeared in front of us. "Warn me when you're going to do that!"

Frisk looked at him. "You're interested in coming along?"

The flower huffed, pretending to be annoyed when he was obviously worried. His words came out with a practiced venom. "Frisk's Determination still rules this world. And I'm stuck until he decides to leave it behind."

C burst to life on Frisk's shoulder. "Oh my God. I am SO glad my brother didn't become this douche."

"Chara?"

Flowey's white face suddenly looked like Asriel instead of the demonic, serial murdering flower. He shook his petaled head, tears threatening. "No. You're wrong too. You aren't my sister."

C looked at Frisk and she shrugged. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yes."

"Good to know." Frisk looked inside the nearest window, watching the annoying dog roll on the carpet. "Where's Papyrus?"

Flowey frowned. "He's been all over the Underground looking for Sans." He kind of shuffled a bit, rubbing his leaves together nervously. "I've been helping him look, but I... There are places I can't go here."

I raised a brow bone. "Even so, it's not like they just fell down a hole and disappeared."

Flowey rolled his eyes, suddenly his flower self again. "Oh like that's never happened before!"

I smirked. "So where can't you go Flowey?"

He climbed up to my shoulder, vines slithering around my arm and reaching under my jacket to anchor around my clavicle. "The True Lab and the lower levels of the Core. So what's in that room? I could never get in it."

"Sans' workshop, except it's cleaned out. He took everything before he left."

"Could he have hooked it up to the Core?" Frisk asked. "Whenever a Sans cleans out the workshop, that's normally the next step."

I frowned. "Is your Gaster dead or alive, Flowey?"

"Who?"

I looked at Frisk and C. Both had a matching frown and I sighed. "Was it that bad last time?"

Frisk shook her head and took my hand for the short cut, fingers lacing with my phalanges. "No. You're getting better at throwing off the influence. It might be because you've been spending more time in the Core at home."

I short cut us to the walkway into the Core, Flowey clutching my bones tightly. "You think so? Then why the frown?"

She smiled as C shook his holographic head. "There's a LOT of you in the influence lately."

I paused at the door and looked at her. "Is there something I should know?"

Frisk offered me her most devious smile and waited for me to huff before answering. "Nothing I haven't already told you." She pulled the door open and stopped to look back. "You do get handsy."

I groaned. I was aware that, as Gaster, I loved her just as deeply. My long time amnesia following bouts of being him subsided when I made the effort to give that part of me actual space to live and breath. It worked out well. I had access to more of my head and was able to use many of the skills Wing Dings had mastered before the split that created Papyrus and I. I also had more control over when another Gaster took me over. But if Frisk was with me when I went to the Core... handsy wasn't enough to describe it. My favorite test subject indeed.

But that, that had been bleeding over to when I was 'under the influence' elsewhere? I knew that being possessed often translated into an, at the very least, mild fascination for another Gaster. But that it had been getting... intimate... That I had not known about. I frowned and followed Frisk into the Core.

"What are you two blathering about?" Flowey asked.

"Do you know who made the Core, Flowey?"

The flower shrugged. "No."

"It was made by a skeleton monster named Wing Dings Gaster. An accident in the Core spread him across time and space in this timeline. In my timeline, it split him into two people: my brother and myself."

Flowey laughed, smile wicked. "So you're only half a person?"

I rolled my eye. "Nah. I'm a whole person and half of another one. And that half can be influenced by the Dr. Gaster's in other timelines. So sometimes I turn into a good man and sometimes I turn into a real asshole." I let my eye go dark. "Be prepared."

The Flower sank down a little and that part of him that was still a scared child appeared for a moment. His vines crept along my clavicle, unwilling to let go for the same reason he wanted too: the illusion of safety. We headed for the elevator and went down. Frisk walked ahead of me and Flowey put his face against my ear hole. "Why does your Frisk have so much LOVE? She said she was military but all the royal guard does is stand around down here."

"It's pretty up there, huh?" I smiled. "Frisk was an adult when she fell. She fought in a war, and earned her LV that way." I paused, remembering the assault on the Foundation so long ago. Her Determination to keep our fostered daughter Verdana safe no matter the cost to herself. "Well, most of it anyway." I shrugged.

Flowey frowned. "So what was in the workshop? Why take it to the Core?"

"A broken time machine that can never be fixed. Occasionally a Sans gets some strange idea and hooks it into the Core. It's never a good idea."

"You're awfully free with the information," the flower monster observed.

I shrugged. "No reason to keep it to myself since it's beyond you to do much about it."

He threw me an awful frown. Then suddenly he looked sad. "What did Chara mean when he said he was glad his brother wasn't me?"

"In our world you didn't die. Queen Toriel crossed the barrier with Chara's body."

The flower drooped, petals closing around his face. "How? How did Chara convince her to kill the humans?"

C burst to life on my shoulder, right in Flowey's face. "I didn't! I didn't commit suicide! I lost the fight to cancer! Mom took me across the barrier so I could be buried on the surface!" He backed off a little, but his voice turned dark. "Buried in the freedom she could never have. And she died for it."

Flowey leaned away from C's hologram, taken aback by the fury. C disappeared from my shoulder, but did not reappear on Frisk's. She stopped for a moment, head bowed for a moment. C must have been griping up a storm because she was fighting a smile. We were getting close. The power of the Core crawled through my bones like little fingers brushing against my ribs and spine.

"He's here," I warned.

I let the influence wash over me.

xxx

A yellow petaled, flower monster stared at me with undisguised confusion from my shoulder. His vines were wrapped through my bones, though by the way he moved, he wasn't sure if he should leave or stay. Fascinating!

I looked around. The hallway was too dusty. The tiles underneath my feet were positively grimy. I would have to speak to janitorial about sweeping and mopping more often. Very unbecoming. The hall was also empty. Where are the photos? The certificates? The schematics?

I frowned and looked to the flower monster. "Would there be a reason you're sitting on my shoulder?"

The flower shook its head like it didn't understand what I had said. How interesting that a monster would be so bold as to be physically on me and not be able to understand my speech. Obviously not an assistant. In looking at him I caught sight of the fur lining to the hood of my jacket. It was most unusual. It was black leather and had a Gaster Blaster embroidered over a Delta Rune, giving it the impression of having wings. I quite liked it, though it wasn't very practical for my work. I'd have to change into a lab coat. I noticed that I wasn't wearing a sweater or at least a button down. My ribs were completely exposed. This was less than acceptable.

"Are you all right, Bones?"

A thrum went up my spine. A very pleasurable sensation. Dark, warm, and very familiar. The voice had come from the woman standing in front of me. The _human_ woman in front of me. There was a _human_ in the Underground. She came up to my clavicles in height, and even covered under a dark blue turtle neck and black cargo pants, she was evidently of an athletic build. Her face was thin around bright blue eyes, softly round at the cheeks, pointed at the chin. A very long, thick braid of brown hair rested on her shoulder.

"And who might you be?" I asked.

"Your favorite test subject."

Oh? She understood me! Very interesting. She called me "Bones." While rather appropriate to describe me, it was also inappropriately intimate. Or was it? She wore a gold ring in the way wedded humans were supposed to and I bore it's match on my phalanges. She wore a fur lined, leather jacket to match mine. I found that uniquely satisfying.

The flower monster looked between the two of us. "What's he saying?"

"He's asking who I am." She took my hand. "If you'd be so kind, Dr. Gaster, I need your assistance. There's a skeleton monster named Sans who may have hooked a broken machine into the Core. It's a very dangerous thing to do and I will need your help in disconnecting it."

"Sans? My assistant? Why would he do something so reckless?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not sure he's even here. It's just my best guess." She looked a little lost and I had a sudden urge to erase that feeling in any way that I could.

I squeezed her hand. "I will help you, but I have another concern. You said you were my favorite test subject, but I don't remember such a fascinating individual. If you would be so kind as to relieve me of my confusion, I would be very happy to explore how you would be a... favorite of mine." I lifted her hand to my face, nuzzling the back of her soft fingers.

The woman sighed and the warm smile she gave me made my knees a bit weak. So very interesting that a complete stranger had this effect on me. I had to stuff my other hand in my pocket to stop from reaching for her again.

A red hologram of a human boy appeared on her shoulder. "Oh my God! How many times has he fed you that exact line?"

The woman ignored the hologram and pulled her hand from mine slowly, letting the tips of her fingers gently graze my mandible. "I'm Frisk, and the way you are now, we haven't met yet."

"The way I am now? An interesting way to phrase it, don't you think? I can tell that I am not exactly myself. I am too short. I am dressed very inappropriately. And I am rather..." I leaned in toward her. "Inspired by the presence of human woman that I have no memory of. One who let me touch her freely in an intimate way." I caught her left hand, lifting it to see the wedding ring. I lifted my hand to examine the golden ring that glittered on my boney finger. "We are well acquainted."

Frisk pulled me down the hall. "The Core. We have to check the Core. We can talk about how well we know each other after we know the Core is fine. You know what it means if the reactor that houses the energy is tampered with."

I frowned and nodded. Adjusting my jacket, I strode ahead of her and deeper into the building. Froze when I entered the control room, my shock turned to outrage at the complete emptiness of the area. There wasn't even a sign of the regular staff, let alone the interns. Frisk lead the way to the mechanism that was the actual Core itself. The housing was empty and working perfectly. I gripped the railing for a moment, looking at my greatest work. Everything was in working order but something was off. I frowned.

She sighed. "He's not here. Now what?"

I trapped her between myself and the near wall. "Now we discuss our acquaintance."

 _Hands off my wife._

I blinked.

"You know that you aren't yourself right now. It's because you know you don't truly exist anymore. You've stolen my husband's body."

I frowned. "Then is my fascination with you his feelings alone?"

She thought about it. "Most likely."

I touched her face gently, feeling the soft skin under my phalanges. Whether this thrum running up my spine was my own fascination or another's, I was not going to lie to myself and say that it wasn't pleasurable.

 _I said, Hands Off._

My hand dropped.

 _Listen, friend. I don't mind you hanging around in here, but Frisk and I have a job to do and children to get home too. Move it along or I kick you out._

The flower monster on my shoulder watched me nervously. "What's going on? Why is his eye flickering?"

Frisk watched me, waiting patiently and completely relaxed though I had her trapped against the wall. I had a sudden and distinct feeling that I was not a physical threat to her in the least. This was both disconcerting and very intriguing.

"My husband's having a word with him."

I sighed. "What happens to me when we leave this place?"

"Your essence continues to linger here, watching over your greatest creation."

I nodded, stepping away from her. I turned and looked up at the device that I had spent so much of my life building. Everything was still in working order, but nothing had been maintained in years. That's what was wrong here. It'd been left to run with no one and nothing to watch over it. Forgotten. Like me.

I turned back to Frisk. "I will not give up this body."

 _All right. Play time's over. Get out._

xxx

I held my skull in my hands. "Fuck that hurts!"

Frisk put a hand on my arm, pulling me toward her and away from the railing. I gave her a pained smile as she rubbed my skull, fingers carefully tracing over the long crack on the top. I nuzzled against her, pressing my head against her touch, attempting to equalize the pressure I felt inside my skull with pressure from the outside.

"He really didn't want to leave his 'baby,' huh?"

I nodded and took her hand to squeeze it.

"Tell me when you feel okay enough to head out. We'll need a new plan."

"Why didn't you kick that thing out to start?!" Flowey growled.

Frisk gently pressed against my skull away from the crack, moving her hand to that place she knew to press gently with her palm. "Kicking out an unwilling Gaster is agonizing. Letting me talk the good doctor into leaving is our go to option. "

The Flower frowned. "So now what?"

"Give us a minute."

He groaned in annoyance, but genuinely looked worried. Frisk pulled me closer, giving me a chance to rest my skull on her shoulder, to breath in her warmth. She still smelled like the sunflower and honey soap she used when she showered before bed. When the headache went from sharp pain to dull thrum, I stood up and rolled my shoulders.

"All right. New plan. Let's try the True Lab."

Frisk nodded and yawned.

"Do you want a break?"

She shook her head. "I didn't have any coffee when I got up."

I put an arm around her, waiting while she hooked a finger in one loop of my jeans. "Oh you and your caffeine addiction."

I short cut us to right outside the Lab. RG1 and RG2 stood guard at the path up to the elevator. We gave them a wave and got one in return. Frisk knocked on the door. There was no response. Frisk shrugged and opened the door, heading inside. The lights were on, but no one sat at the computer. Piles of books and dying ramen cups littered the desk and floor.

"Alphys? Are you in here?"

A large, metal box came down the escalator. Mettaton stood on one wheel, arms snaking out when he reached the bottom. "Hello, Darlings!" He stopped short. "I don't believe we've met."

Frisk smiled, instantly happy. I don't know why she loved the tin can so much, but MTT was one of her favorite people. "We haven't but we're big fans!"

"Alphys said she was expecting someone but I was sure they'd already arrived."

"Was it Sans? He's a skeleton monster. We're actually looking for him."

MTT tapped the side of his box. "I don't know for sure, but she did take her guest down into the basement."

"Thank you." Frisk pulled out a pen and her autograph book. "Can I have an autograph?"

"What...?" Flowey watched with mouth hanging open. "Seriously?!" he barked.

I shrugged while MTT signed the autograph and posed for a selfie. "In every timeline she has the chance, she asks for an autograph. The selfie is a bonus."

Flowey rolled his eyes as Frisk put the autograph book away with profuse thanks. We headed to the elevator as Mettaton rolled away.

"You know what's down here, right?" Flowey cringed against me suddenly.

"Yeah. We know. My Alphys made them too. They're living happily with their families now."

The elevator door opened on a dark lobby and no noise but the hum of the vending machine. We went around the corner into the bunk room. Alphys lay in one of the beds, unconscious. Frisk gasped and ran for the lizard woman.

A set of glowing bones leapt from the floor in front of her and she crashed into them. Frisk hit the floor and rolled to her feet in a crouch, looking for Sans. I spotted him at the door that led to the Determination Extraction Machine.

"The door!" I yelled.

Frisk's eyes followed my direction. "What's going on, Sans?"

"*Seraph agents? Crap." Sans lifted his arm, summoning a barrier of bones between us and the door to the DT Extraction machine. "*Sorry, kids. But I can't let you stop this one."

Frisk shot forward from the crouch and made a straight dash for Sans. The skeleton froze for a moment, completely stunned at the forward attack, before summoning a volley of bones.

"Left!" C yelled.

Frisk ducked behind a bed, a line of bones missing her by a hair. She came up on the other side of the bed and jumped a set of bones coming up underneath her.

"Duck!"

Frisk hit the floor to dodge a set of GB blasts, and rolled across the floor until she was clear enough to kip up. I cut a rift in space, pulling two of my GB's through and ordered them to attack. They shot forward, engaging Sans' GB's with fast and furious bites. They both balked and ran, unprepared for an assault by combat trained Blaster's.

"Straight ahead!"

She spun just enough to dodge a volley from the right and dive toward the skeleton, smashing him into the floor with a roll. Her soul turned blue and I cut out the magic before he could throw her. She came up sitting on his rib cage.

"Behind. Catchable."

Frisk reached back and picked the bone flying toward her head out of the air. She held it over him like a baseball bat. "I'd settle down, before you go through all that HP you've saved up by sleeping so much," Frisk said.

Sans froze. "*You're 'that' Frisk, aren't you? You're Church." Defeat crawled over his face. "*Craaaaaap."

A young boy appeared in the door. "Sans? Sans!" He banged against the bones, desperate to get through. "Please don't hurt him!"

Frisk stood, dropping the bone. She knelt next to the barrier to look at the child on the other side. "You're Frisk."

The boy nodded, reaching through the bones to touch her hair. "You're Frisk too." He smiled.

She laid her hand over his, that thing that made all Frisks fascinated with each other kicking in. "What's going on?"

The boy sighed, looking at his scruffy tennies. "I want to give Asriel a piece of my soul. Make him, him again. That's why I reset."

Flowey just stared at the boy, mouth hanging open. He dove from my shoulder, parting the floor of the lab like it was water, and reappeared in front of Frisk. "Really?"

He smiled big. "It was Chara's idea! We think it will give you enough to be you again."

Tears formed in the flower's eyes, his face suddenly looking like Asriel's again. "I..."

Alphys shivered in her sleep, and one of the amalgamates appeared to draw a blanket over her. "That's a really dangerous idea, kiddo." I offered Sans a hand up and he took it. "Do you really think you can do it?"

Sans frowned and released the barrier in the doorway. "*I don't know. But for the kid, I'll try."

"Wait." C burst to life on Frisk's shoulder. "There's a not evil me here?"

The boy looked at C. "Chara helps me out a lot." He reached up, his hand going through the hologram. "Cool." He blinked eyes becoming red. "Hello."

C frowned. "So what happened to kill all the humans?"

There was a soft sigh. "I was a mess. I blamed everyone for the way only a very few treated me. Frisk helped me see that. I just wanted what was best for my family and didn't realize the harm I was causing them." He blinked again eyes returning to a green flecked hazel.

Frisk looked up at me. "Well?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Let me call Fase to be sure she can right us if it goes wrong."

Sans looked up at me. "*You aren't going to stop us?"

"Not unless Fase says it'll do something that will harm the timeline." I pulled out my phone, smiling at my wallpaper for a moment, and called.

Fase's voice of cheery doom fell from the speaker. "Hello, Father! How may I assist you?"

"The anomaly turns out to be a script break. This timeline's Frisk wants to split a piece of their soul off so Flowey can be Asriel again."

"It is possible. Let me find you the information on that." Fase hummed to herself as she searched through her files. "Ah! Here's what I've got. In timelines where Frisk split their soul to give Asriel a true existence, it lead to Frisk ceasing to be human and becoming a boss monster. In some timelines, the two were then able to break the barrier open and in others everyone remained trapped."

Flowey shook his head. "No. Frisk must remain human. I won't go through with something that will hurt his soul."

Frisk turned to me. "How did the Prime Frisk do it? How did they save Asriel? I know they did. How was it achieved?"

I could almost see Fase's digital image shake its head. "Blue has never recorded how it was done. All I know is that the Prime timeline is the only place it is achieved perfectly. In other timelines, a different sacrifice must take Asriel's place such as in your timeline, or the script must be entirely different, such as in the Shipworks and on the Colony Ship Delta."

Frisk looked up at me. "When a boss monster has a child, the child takes a piece of the parent's power which is why the child is able to grow up. As they age, so does their boss monster parent. That power becomes the child's soul, creating a new boss monster."

"And for Asriel, you need a piece of Toriel and Asgore." I smiled. "Fase, run the numbers and tell me whether or not that would work."

"I..." Fase trailed off.

I rolled my eye. "Blue's there, isn't he? Ask him if it will work."

I heard a chuckle and could see him shrugging in my mind. "*welp. it might. it might not." I could almost see the wink. "*let me know how it goes." The phone went dead.

Frisk stood. "So the new plan is to convince Toriel and Asgore to give Asriel a new soul?"

I nodded. "Seems to be."

She looked at the boy. "Frisk? You need to go back on script and open the barrier before you attempt this." She gently touched Flowey's petals, running her finger along the edges. "We need your parents talking to each other and you need your body back. The final battle grants those things."

Frisk frowned. "So how do we go back? Do I reset again?"

"When was your last save?"

"Before fighting mom."

"Going back to that will be enough," I said.

We heard the elevator ding and several feet pounding toward us. The royal guard rounded the corner, Undyne at the front in full armor, red ponytail flying behind her.

"Alphys! We've had reports of a human in the Underground. I need to know what your cameras have picked up." She stopped when she saw Alphys lying in the bed. Summoning a spear she turned it on all of us, the guard fanning out around her. "I better hear a good reason why Alphys is out cold and the rest of you are standing around."

Frisk smiled, realizing that this Undyne didn't know what a human looked like. The boy Frisk stood mostly hidden behind her. She winked at him and turned to Undyne with both hands held up. "Alphys..." She paused and looked at Undyne suspiciously. "Wait. How did you know about the elevator or the rest of the lab?"

Undyne frowned. "That weird robot friend of hers told me about the elevator."

Frisk pulled out her autograph book and looked at the signature. She flipped through other pages of the book and back to the newest autograph. "That wasn't Mettaton." She looked at me. "The anomaly isn't what they're doing here. That's why Blue was so laid back about it. They're doing what they're supposed too." She looked at Undyne. "Which way did the robot go?"

"You still haven't answered my question!" Undyne yelled.

"Sans?"

"*she was passed out at her desk when i came in. i just moved her down to a bed."

Frisk put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. I squeezed my eye sockets shut for the same reason: the time we found our Alphys asleep under the conference table in Asriel's office because she didn't want to leave the project she was working on unfinished.

Undyne lowered the spear and checked Alphys. "She is just asleep." She looked at the rest of us. "What's going on Sans?"

"*i was helping the kid here with a school project. these two are investigators out of new home. they came here looking for a perp."

"It'll need to wait. There's a human in the underground."

"Do you have a description?" Frisk asked.

"Male. Five feet, eight inches tall with brown hair and eyes. Wearing a green and yellow striped shirt and brown pants."

"A child?" I asked, keeping the buff going.

"In a striped shirt, it must be." She looked at Sans. "You'll have to cut the project short and get the kid home, Sans."

"*can do."

Undyne looked at Frisk and I. "This is Royal Guard business so I'll be asking you to stay out of it."

Frisk and I nodded as she turned, took a last sighing look at Alphys, and left with the guard.

Sans grabbed my sleeve. "Another Chara? How?"

"I'm tempted to jump to that conclusion, but it could just be someone in a green and yellow striped shirt," Frisk said. She thought about it for a moment. "When you were on the surface, were there any stand out monster haters? People who had enough Determination to remember through a reset?"

Sans and Frisk looked at each other.

"*Yeah. More than a few. But there was one man in particular who made an effort to kidnap frisk on multiple occasions. James Foster."

Frisk's jaw dropped. "James?" She looked at me and then back at Sans. "I can't imagine him acting like that."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "This is a different timeline. This wouldn't be the man we know."

Her shoulders drooped. "Oh man." She looked at the autograph again and pulled out a picture of James' family she kept in her wallet to compare the handwriting on the back. "Oh hell."

I blinked at her several times. I honestly had never heard my wife curse before.

C's jaw dropped. "Woah."

Frisk took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She put away the autograph book and the photo. "Okay." She turned to Sans. "Would he have brought people with him or acted alone?"

The boy answered. "He'd always have friends with him. People who would make it difficult for monsters to get in the way of whatever he planned."

Frisk nodded and looked at me. "Let's go find 'Mettaton' first."

We hit the elevator and when the doors opened on the first floor, we were welcomed by piles of dust. Undyne leaned against the desk, melting. Mettaton's case lay on it's side, open and empty.

Both Frisks gasped. "Oh no." They rushed to Undyne's side.

She looked at them both with a big, sardonic smile. "Well. I guess I let you humans trick me good, huh?"

Both shook their heads. "He's no friend of ours."

Undyne reached out and touched the boy's face. "I feel something... Strange. The echoes of something warm, something... Something like 'I miss being friends with you.' Why?"

The boy took her hand and held it. The reset button glowed in front of him, warm and golden.

Frisk grabbed his hand. "Not yet. We have to remove the anomaly first or you'll be doing this over and over."

The boy nodded and the reset button faded away. He he took a deep breath and choked on it, trying not to cry. He took another breath and that one came out smoothly, eyes filled with Determination. "I'll fix it, Sushi Roll. I promise."

Undyne snorted, smile changing to one of complete recognition. "Punk." She melted away. The boy put his face in his hands and wept.

Flowey wrapped thick, green vines around his Frisk. "Hey. It's okay. We can... We can fix this. Come on." He lifted the boy to his feet.

Frisk stood and looked around, eyes tracking the scuff marks on the floor. "We are looking for three people total." She looked to Sans. "Take Frisk and hide him somewhere safe. We'll call when we've pulled the anomaly so he can access his save."

Sans put an arm around the boy and they disappeared. Flowey popped up in front of us a moment later and climbed back up to my shoulder. The look on his face was one I'd seen on my Asriel's more times than I'd like to think about: a very focused wrath.

Heading out the door of the Lab was a trail of destruction. We ran across the bridge from Hotland into Waterfall, racing after the humans. The trail of dust and faded remains ended abruptly in the darkness that led into the Temmie Village. We crept to the edge of the village and looked around. There wasn't anyone outside, but there wasn't any piles of dust on the ground either. The Temmies were hiding in the walls of the cavern. Footprints led into the Temmie shop.

Frisk pulled her gun and waited. James Foster walked out of the shop with two men. He looked exactly like our James but something was infinitely off. I took a peek at him through my own personal void space and confirmed my suspicion.

This man did not belong on this timeline at all.

"We need to apprehend him and take him back with us, Babe. He doesn't belong here."

Frisk nodded.

Flowey growled. "Take him alive? Don't you know it's kill or be killed?"

I grabbed him by the stem before he could jump away, my eye going dark. "No arguments."

He turned up his nose.

"I've got Foster. Flowey, take out the man on the right. Babe, take the one on the left."

Frisk nodded. "If one of them gets away from the village, we meet here after subduing them." She looked at Flowey. "Keep your cool. Do not kill your target. Something is really wrong here and if you kill one of them, we lose the information."

"I get it. I get it. Please let go of me."

I let go of his stem.

"Say when."

I shrugged. "When."

Flowey dived into the ground like it was a pool of water and disappeared under the surface. He came up a mass of thick, thorny vines around his target. When the other two turned to help, I rushed in. Frisk fired twice, encasing her target's in legs and arms in foam core. I grabbed Foster only to have him turn and land a hit to my sternum, knocking me back. Then he got a good look at me. He reached for a gun.

Frisk shot it out of his hand, encasing the gun in foam.

I grabbed his arm and punched him hard enough to knock him out. I set him down next to his friend struggling in foam core and turned to Flowey. His vines were squeezing the life out of the man. I grabbed his stem.

"We're done, Flowey."

He kept squeezing and the man started to turn blue.

Frisk put her hand over his face, covering his eyes and forcing them closed. "We're done, Asriel. Thank you."

The flower monster shuddered and let go, vines falling back into the ground. His target hit the ground, unconscious.

I pulled out my phone and called Fase. "I need containment for three human males."

"Of course, Father. Sending them now."

Three cylinders appeared behind me along with Techno Sans. "*hey guys. want me to drop these at the foundation?"

I nodded. A bit of blue magic had our prisoners in the containers and Techno took them away.

Frisk pulled on one of Flowey's leaves. "Hey. You all right?"

"Yes... No... Maybe..."

"Come here."

Flowey looked at her for a moment before crawling up into her arms.

"You have a family. Your brother and sister love you very much and are willing to sacrifice a lot to give you your life back. I know that through endless lifetimes filled with fear, loneliness, and sorrow, you've become comfortable as you are. But that comfort is not acceptable. Not for the person you could be. You don't have that much longer to wait." She touched his petals. "If I ever come back, I would like to see the goat I call my brother back home and not the flower."

He nodded and leaned against her for a moment. "You smell like my sister did when she was alive. Like sunflowers and honey." He jumped down and looked up at us. "Thank you." He disappeared back into the earth.

I called Sans. "We're clear. Frisk can access his save."

"*thanks, bud. i appreciate the help."

"Anytime."

I hung up and put an arm around Frisk, solving to take us home.

We landed just outside the equipment room where we started. Late afternoon sunlight poured through the windows of the Foundation, bathing us in a warm yellow.

Cross came down the hall and sped up when he saw us. "What's with the three in containment?"

"We don't know yet. Only that they were on the wrong timeline." I yawned. "How long where we gone?"

"Thirteen hours. Enough time for you guys to get showered up and join everyone for dinner. My Papyrus made Blanquette de Veau tonight to go with baked Camembert. Blue wants to debrief both of you after you've had some sleep."

"And the kids?"

"Sans said they did great with their lessons today."

I nodded and Cross headed off.

Frisk trudged into the equipment room and started putting her equipment away. She stopped with her hand on a shelf. "What's going on, Bones? What happened today?"

I sighed and leaned back against the wall, hands in my pockets. "I don't know. Those men were from a different timeline. I don't know how they moved from one to the other."

She came back and slid her arms around me, resting her head on my sternum. "Hurry up and hug me before the kids see us and pull us apart."

I smirked and put a hand in her hair.

"Mommy!"

Brandon ran up to us and pushed us apart, reaching up for a hug with a wide smile.


	2. Ep2 Call For Help

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Flowey is a reference to SCP-2023 - Aidoneus' Apology. Other SCP appearances: SCP 1076 'The Only Child,' SCP 944 'Mirror Maze,'

Super Special Disclaimer!: Scartale!Frisk belongs to ilanitalia! Look for ilanitaliaXD on FFnet and scartale-an-undertale-au on tumblr to check out their work! Please note that what happens to ScarTale!Frisk in this series is not canon to ScarTale.

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 2 - Call for Help

James looked through the two way mirror at his other self with a deep frown.

Cross put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

James sighed. "I've met other versions of myself so this isn't really weird for me, but I've never met a version of myself that was so... violent. So filled with hate."

I opened the file and looked it over. "This James Foster is from a Fell timeline. It looks like when the barrier opened, his family ended up in the line of fire when war broke out. As near as we can tell, after his family died, he ended up on the timeline we found him and started a massive anti-monster campaign. It never occurred to him that he wasn't even in the right place, despite the change in the monsters. He has no military training, hence why it was easy to subdue him."

I handed the file to Cross.

He frowned and looked over the file. "How did he get from one timeline to another?"

"Are you sure he isn't one of your people?" James asked.

Cross shook his head. "Recruiting was kept to people with real Determination, hence Charas and Frisks like myself." He indicated the man on the other side of the glass. "He's determined, but can you say he's as determined than Church or I?"

James frowned. "No."

"That man is fueled by his hatred and fear. But there's a point where that breaks down completely and he's just filled with sorrow. Keep him in relative isolation for two days with no way to tell time and his only interaction being with monsters who are caring toward him, and he'll break. We'll get real information out of him then."

"Wow. That's some real brainwashing shit right there."

Cross shrugged. "If that man wants to see the other side of mental health, then it needs to happen anyway."

"So why didn't you use those tactics on Frisk?"

There was a moment of silence as Cross watched the man through the glass. Then he sighed. "I did. But Church is mentally sound, surrounded by a real support network," he eyes flicked to me for a moment, "and has a husband who understands her flaws. She isn't like Provost, who simultaneously wanted to be as near as possible to the goat she loved while being determined to avoid intimacy. And she certainly isn't like Lyall, who feared his bloodlust would overcome him. His Sans was a real bitch to fight. It took a team just to get her into containment."

James gave him a confused look. "Why containment?"

"She's a biochemist. I wanted that skill set. She escaped when an agent from Site Alpha ran a retrieval operation on the facility she was in."

"What about Stewart?" I asked.

"Oh hell, I shot him in the back the moment he turned it on me! It's why he's so pissy with me all the time."

"Site Alpha?" James eye brows shot up. "The first Seraph Foundation? It still operates? I was under the impression that it was decommissioned."

I shook my skull. "Site Alpha is still in operation, but what it's specifically been doing all this time is anyone's guess. It's locked down as tight as Prime. We occasionally run into a few Alpha agents in the field, but they're mostly Sans-es or humans with unusual abilities and skill sets. They were fully active until the last war with Error. After that?" I shrugged.

A soft knock at the door caught our attention and Frisk came in, dark blue uniform in place. "Anything new?"

Cross handed her the file. "He's not breaking without some isolation treatment first."

Frisk nodded and looked to me. "Does Fase know how he got to one timeline from another?"

As if on cue her phone rung before I could answer. Fase's use of dramatic timing were getting better and better. Sliding to unlock, Frisk held the phone to her ear. "Yes, Frisk? Yeah. Just a sec."

Frisk put her phone on speaker and Fase's voice of cheery doom fell from the device. "I don't know how your captive managed to change timelines yet, but I've got a mission to at least hold you while we wait. Straight Man Sans went home to check on his timeline earlier today your time and found humans from other timelines trapped in the Underground."

Frisk shuddered and we all looked at each other. That timeline was a paradise of horror tropes with a large helping of SCP Containment Breach, which is the only thing I'd ever seen make my girl completely loose it. A recent trip to the timeline had her functional, but too jumpy, and she spent three weeks after clinging to me at night. All this because of Black's little prank. As soon as I figure out how to punch a ghost, he's an even deader man.

"Do you want to sit this one out, Babe?"

She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"I'm not assigning Agent Serif to this one," Fase said. "I need her for a different mission. Agents Latha and Lucida are already on timeline and called for extra help so I'm sending you, Father. They are waiting near the equation coordinates."

Frisk was visibly relieved. "What've you got for me?"

"Agent Helvetica put in a call for assistance. He's waiting in your office."

She nodded and handed the file to James. "See you guys later."

I winked at her as she left, earning me a smile. I gave the other James one last look. "Let us know when his demeanor changes."

"Will do," Cross said.

I headed out the door and down the hall to the equipment room, the early morning sun casting long rectangles of light across the hall way. The last Spring frost had melted away during the night and I knew Frisk was eager to get the gardens in order. Asgore would be by in a week and the two would hash out what went where. The greenhouse off the back of the new lab building located a bit into the woods was already overgrown with seedlings ready to hit the ground. She and G were discussing something in the office as I walked by, him leaning against the wall with the ever present lollipop in his mouth.

One of my GB's, Caleb specifically, bumped into the back of my shoulder, looking for some affection. I turned to rub his boney snout. "So how did you get out of your pen, huh?" Caleb whined a little, panting. I patted his nose. "Well, if you really want out, how about you come along with me today." That got me an excited swing in the air over my head before he came back down to nuzzle against me. This GB had been my first one, a particularly friendly bighorn ram who followed me home after a trip into the forests outside Snowdin when I had still been Wing Dings. I'd named him and kept him as a pet.

I opened the door to the equipment room and grabbed my bag. Hooking a boney finger in Caleb's jaw, I solved for Straight Man Sans' timeline. Something 'tugged' at me in the void and I took a moment to stop and look around. I didn't see any of Error's lines or anyone in the space. Just endless blackness with the twinkling stars that represented all the timelines. There were more of them now; the work of Inky and the ever expanding nature of multi-verses.

Not spotting a reason for the tug, I landed in the timeline, the world coming together in an abandoned amusement park. I stood next to a massive steel roller coaster, the paint peeled off in large sections to reveal heavy rusting and bent tracks. In front of me were the remains of three half sunk pleasure boats frozen in a too shallow lake. The bright colors of their flaking paint jobs contrasted sharply with the dingy dock they were moored too. A large rusted Ferris Wheel creaked on my right, the dull red and sickly orange cars swaying lightly. I turned on my heel, walking toward a half submerged and broken wooden coaster. Where the lake had been too shallow by the docks, here it had overflown it's bed to claim the coaster now half frozen in it.

I had no sign of the kids.

I snorted. Kids. Red's Chara and our Exemplar toting Frisk Ossein were hardly children anymore. But in my head I still saw the curious girl who dug through my work bench and activated one of my pokeballs. And it was hard to reconcile the several hundred year old soul with the youthful body he now inhabited. Caleb flew close to my shoulder, white, pin point eyes watching the surroundings carefully. He felt it. That delicious creepiness that infused the air and put you on edge. It wasn't quite up to a horror timeline standard yet, but it didn't need to be. The slow build would gently lead you up the scale of paranoia before dropping you screaming into hell. This kind of feeling isn't what set Frisk off though. It was the helplessness that often accompanied that drop. She hated feeling like she couldn't do anything to defend herself and others.

I caught a whistle on my left and found Frisk and Chara running toward me. Having long abandoned striped shirts a few years ago, they both now wore dark green button downs and black cargo pants over their armor. Chara's hair had grown out to his shoulders, cutting it being the one thing he was lazy about. He had a habit of waiting until either of his Frisks couldn't stand it anymore and trimmed it for him. He wore a long black coat with a red and gold Delta Rune on the back. Frisk's hair was just as long and black as it had been yesterday on the training floor when she and Asriel had taken a break from lab work to throw down. She shivered against the cold even in her fur lined jacket, and wrapped her arms around herself when she got to me.

Chara eyed me for a moment. "You look... older. How do you look older...? Holy shit. One of the kids is a boss monster."

I nodded. "My bets are on Brandon."

Frisk blinked. "Why?"

"Because he was conceived by the combining of our souls."

Frisk genuinely looked confused. "I thought that was how all monsters had children on our timeline."

"Sophia was conceived the normal human way on another timeline."

She giggled. "Ooooooh. Bow chicka bow wow!" She laughed as Chara's head dropped in mock embarrassment. Taking a breath, she gathered herself. "We've got a problem. Two actually."

I frowned. "Go on."

"Fase says there are ten humans here. We've retrieved three of them but not without difficulty. There are monsters down here that look like humans and one of them hurt us so bad, we ported back home. After healing up, Alphys gave us both tablets that let us tell if what we are seeing is actually someone in need of help or a trap, as well as track the humans here."

"And the second problem?"

Chara frowned, arms crossed over his chest. "We can't find Sans. We've been all over Snowdin and haven't seen heads or tails of him. He has a badge, so he can just port whenever he wants too, but he hasn't messaged us at all."

"Any resets since you've gotten here?"

Frisk shook her head, long, black braid swinging. "Flowey's laying real low. We saw a couple patches of the jeweled flowers he resembles. Sans said they pop up around where ever he appears, meaning he's been around since they spread where ever he is, but not him."

"One more thing," Chara added. "The humans we're finding aren't from this timeline."

I blinked. "Great. That makes two timelines with the wrong people on them."

The kids looked at each other, concerned.

"Let's get the other seven people and get them out of here."

Frisk nodded and pulled out a tablet. Activating the screen with a swipe revealed a map of Snowdin with a blinking spot in factory number eight. "Next one is in a factory in Snowdin. Let's go-" She pulled her gun in a flash, training it on something just behind me. I turned to see a blank, white, faceless head in a black suit with too long limbs.

I chuckled. "Blunt force trauma, Slendy. Blunt force trauma."

It disappeared and Frisk put up her gun. "Man. That thing just comes out of no where. At least with the animatronics, you hear them coming way in advance." She reached up, petting Caleb while she spoke, and getting his cuddles in response. "Anyway, until we can figure out where Sans is, we've just been finding humans."

"Is the factory the same one Sans' apartment is in?"

Chara shook his head. "Nope. The one we're heading for is like someone built a Ouija Board factory on top of a Native American burial ground."

"Brilliant." I gestured. "Lead the way."

We exited the amusement park via a long staircase to a parking lot with rusted out and broken down cars littering the area. Crow manifested, his hulking, black clothed frame watching our backs as we walked toward the industrial park that made up this world's Snowdin. I stopped next to the doll factory converted into lofts and efficiencies I knew Sans' apartment to be in. Lights shone from several of the second and third floor windows, shadows flicking this way and that.

"Have either of you checked the haunted doll factory?"

Chara shook his head. "Do you think that someone may actually be in there? I thought it'd just be haunted dolls."

I directed Caleb up to the windows and let my eye go black, seeing through his eyes instead. In one window, three broken, porcelain dolls appeared to be having tea, their movements jerky in the flickering candle light. The other lighted windows had curtains in various states of decay covering them, obscuring the inside. I called my pet back and rubbed his snout before moving on.

Chara led us to the eighth factory in a line, boots crunching in the new fallen snow. He turned down the small alley between factories eight and nine to get a look inside first. Crawling up a pile of crates to get a look in from a high window, Chara waved us up. Frisk and I climbed after him, having a look inside. While the factory building itself was four stories tall, the interior was large and open. It looked as if a second or third floor mezzanine may have existed at some point, but had completely fallen in. The factory floor was littered with broken, off set printer machinery. A group of twelve humans alternately huddled or patrolled. A few sat on the floor weeping. The only woman in the group clutched a small child to her.

"Crap," Frisk whispered. She held out the tablet, using the camera on the back to take a picture. "The woman holding the kid is our human, but the kid with her isn't." She put the tablet away.

Human or not, all of them flinched away from one of the people patrolling. He was a tall man, likely standing at my height. His hair was short, brown, and dirty from several days without a bath, pants and jacket filthy, but his shirt seemed relatively clean. On his shoulder rested a bat that was notched from having been used for non-baseball purposes. I turned the three of us blue and floated us back down to the ground. "Did you see the big guy everyone was avoiding?"

Chara frowned. "Yeah. He walks like someone who's using their brute strength to subdue the people around them."

"I'm betting if we take him down first, the others will back off fast."

"Or the rest might gang up on us." Chara sighed. "Of course, that isn't as much of a problem with you around. The woman doesn't look captive as much as just hiding with people she thinks are her friends."

We walked through the snow around to the front of the building. Sans suddenly appeared in front of us. His blue hoodie was a mess, black shorts ripped, blue high tops covered in blood and dirt. He clutched two small children to him, looking around wildly, and then sighing audibly when he saw us.

"Oh thank goodness!" He sank to his knees, looking at the children. "These three? They're friends. They can help us."

"Where were you?" Frisk asked as she knelt. She scanned both children, confirming them as human before pulling off her backpack. Digging out her medical kit, she offered the children monster candy. Hesitating at first, they took the jewel-like hard candy to suck on. She checked them both for injuries, cleaning out cuts and gashes she found before pushing the sides of the wounds together to help the monster candy do its job. A trick she'd learned from Red.

Sans frowned. "Alphys lured four humans into the Lab. I was trying to get them out. Except teleporting of any kind on timeline, no matter how correct the equations, lands you in the wrong place. Don't ask where I ended up. I'm trying to repress the memory." He shuddered. "Anyway, when I did get to the Lab, I found these two. They were adults when they walked in, but they don't seem to have any memories about their lives beyond age nine and they're sure they've always lived here. I don't know what happened to the other two."

Satisfied that the kids were well, Frisk held out her hand. "I'm Frisk. That's Chara and that's Bones. The floating animal skull is Bones' pet, Caleb. The big ninja is my friend, Crow. What are your names?"

The boy took her hand, a little suspicious. Dressed in ripped blue jeans and a striped sweater, he looked at Sans for a moment to see if it was all right. "Noah."

The girl, a dark haired little thing in a blue shirt and dirty blue jeans, practically threw herself into Frisk's arms. "I'm Ava! Please help us!"

Frisk hugged her. "We're working on that, sweetie. Promise." Frisk looked up to me. "Are they in the wrong timeline as well?"

I held up my hand and had a look. "Oh yeah."

The wind suddenly kicked up, blowing harshly through the trees. And nearly masking the sound of the things trudging through the snow toward us. What appeared to be a family of four, dressed in very old fashioned clothes, moved toward us in a quick shamble. Their faces were covered by white flour sacks that had eye, nose, and mouth holes cut out. Pieces of straw stuck out of holes in the clothing. Little Ava screamed, clinging to Frisk tightly.

"Run!" Sans yelled. He grabbed Noah, tucking him under one arm. Chara kicked the door of the factory open. We headed inside, shoving the door shut behind us, and bracing it with bones. The door groaned as the four outside battered at the barrier for a few tense moments before losing interest and shambling off.

I breathed a sigh of relief only to hear a battle cry. Three of the fake humans ran at us with make shift weapons. Chara stepped forward, dodging the swing of a two by four and slammed a fist into his attacker's stomach. He doubled over and hit the dusty floor.

A second man grabbed Frisk's wrist. She let go of Ava to jerk the man toward her, taking him off balance. Bringing her other elbow up, she jammed his nose. He fell back, holding his face.

Noah whimpered against Sans and I looked back to check on them. I was rewarded with the sharp crack of a blunt object to the back of my skull. I stood up straight and rolled my shoulders. "Ow." I turned, eye dark. "That hurt."

The big man with the baseball bat was the one who'd hit me, and his eyes went wide with fear on seeing that his strike hadn't damaged me at all. It took a lot more than what he had to knock me flat. He swung at me again and I caught the bat in one boney hand, yanking it from him before tossing it into the darkness with a clatter.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Where's my apology?"

"Stop! Stop! They're here to help!" The human woman clutching what appeared to be a small child, somewhere around four years old, rushed towards me. "You're the rescue from Seraph, right? You're wearing the symbol."

"Yes."

"Does that make you Dr. Sans or Papyrus Gaster?"

I gave her a smile, putting my hands in my pockets, but my eye was glued to the child. "Sans. My brother doesn't do missions. Have we met?"

She shook her head. "I'm Larry Rivera's wife, Kristen. I saw you during last year's Christmas party when my husband pointed you out, but we haven't been formally introduced."

I couldn't look away from the child. "Circumstances aside, it's nice to meet you. How did you end up here?"

"I don't know! I walked out of the house and ended up in a zombie infested mall. I found an escape through a garbage chute and found the others nearby. We've been hiding here for a few days. Or at least it feels like a few days."

"And the kid?"

"I found him in the woods while looking for food. He doesn't seem able to speak." The child against her chest cried and she rocked the boy, carefully shushing him.

"Shut the kid up before it attracts something!" The big man yelled, suddenly finding his courage.

Kristin flinched away from him, toward me. "Please! Take us home!"

I watched the child in her arms. He was unwashed with long, matted hair. His clothing was ragged and his feet were bare. I reached out, suddenly compelled to care for him.

"NO! NO! NO!" Sans screamed. "GET AWAY FROM THE KID!" He pulled me back, eye glowing a bright blue. "Don't let Bones near the kid!"

Before I could react, I was wrapped in red magic. Frisk grabbed Caleb by the mandible, swinging him away from Sans and keeping his jaw clamped shut with her arms. I struggled against Chara's bind, desperate to get to the kid. I had to get to him. He needed me.

The woman clutched the boy tighter as Sans approached. "I won't let you hurt him!"

"Lady, that kid ain't yours. He's a monster called an Only Child. You've got kids, Lady. And if you let that one in your life it will make you neglect those children until they either run away or die. You gotta let it go!"

The child hissed at Sans, eyes turning a complete black. It jumped at him. He dodged easily and the kid hit the floor. It came up hissing at him and got a volley of bones sent directly at it. I cut Chara's magic, but before I could do anything, he grabbed my jacket and pulled it down to trap my arms. The kid turned tail at the sight of the bones and ran into the darkness of the factory.

"No! Come back!" Kristin ran after the child and Chara let go of me to grab her arm. She rounded on him and froze, blinking rapidly as she looked into his blood red eyes. "What happened? Why was I so upset? Who are you?"

He sighed, a bit relieved. "I'm Chara Dreemurr and this is Frisk Ossein."

I pulled my jacket back on properly and rubbed the sides of my skull. "What the hell?"

Sans brushed off his. "Yeah. Those things do that to people who already have kids. It even works on the other monsters down here."

Chara frowned, watching the other 'humans' arrange themselves. "Frisk? Sans? Take Ava, Noah, and Mrs. Rivera back to the Foundation. Explain to Az what's going on with the kids. Bones and I will handle the rest."

"Got it," Frisk confirmed. She picked up Ava with one arm and grabbed Kristen's hand with the other. Sans scooped up Noah, and they disappeared as the false humans began to close on us.

"You okay, Bones?"

"Yeah. I think so."

Chara nodded as he summoned his sword. "So what's the deal with you guys, huh?"

"You took our brood mother!" one fumed, fingers stretching out on his hands like claws as they circled us.

"Ah. Let me guess. You guys don't have females of your own, so you need to steal them, right? I bet you only look human right now because she did."

As each of the men stepped forward, their backs bent, arms extending to the floor. Their skin, having mimicked Kristen's tawny complexion, turned a dark, mottled, grayish purple as it stretched. The their backs split open, revealing long rows of glistening bone spikes all the way down their spines. Their eyes disappeared behind layers of that mottled skin, noses growing disproportionately over mouths of sharp teeth and fetid breath. Long tongues dropped from their mouths, thrashing along the floor.

I snorted. "Ask and you shall receive."

Chara sighed. "Yeah. I know." He brought up his sword, falling into stance.

To keep them from ganging up on us, I threw a barrier up, sectioning off a group. They walked through the bones as if they were mist.

Chara's took a swing at one of the beasts. His sword bounced off of it's head. He stepped back. "That's bad. That's really bad."

They moved fast, motion blurring as they surrounded us. Caleb let out a blast, and three of them disintegrated in the beam, but it didn't deter the rest. I grabbed Chara's arm, snagged Caleb, and took a short cut to... where the hell where we? We weren't in Snowdin anymore.

"Woah. When Sans said teleporting could end you up anywhere, he meant it."

We stood at the edge of a lake filled with dark water gently lapping at the bank. A broken bridge of rotting wood extended halfway out into the water, before collapsing at the end. The rest of the bridge, while submerged, still connected to a small island. The island was little more then a rocky outcropping with stairs carved into the stone where it met the other end of the bridge. A massive statue of a child's head resting on a short neck with the eyes closed and the mouth shut, lips pursed, filled the entirety of the island. Parts of the statue's concrete face were broken off, revealing an interior much like a house, but the rooms were dark and damp from the mist rolling over the lake.

Chara pulled a tablet out of his bag, holding it up to scan the statue before turning to scan the area. "There's nothing around here." He changed to a map mode. "According to this, we're in the forest outside of Snowdin on the way to Waterfall. You know, the big one that rests below the cliff? I don't remember a lake like this back home though." He poked at the tablet. "There's a human nearby. Looks like they're holed up in the house in the clearing."

"Let's find them before trying to regroup with Frisk and Sans."

"Can I have a minute?"

"Sure."

Chara put the tablet away and sat down, staring at the weird statue. "This place has been a real slice of hell." He laughed bitterly. "It's really getting to me. I can see why Church hates it so much."

I sat next to him. "Frisk was really hurt when you two retreated, wasn't she?"

"She laughed it off, but it was bad." He shuddered. "I was worried she'd pass out from blood loss and I wouldn't have a way to save her. I asked Fase to send us help after that." He smiled, but wasn't happy. "If we run into the monster that got her, he's a dead man."

"Have you two been getting serious?"

Chara shook his head. "No. We're not like that. She's my Frisk." He picked up a stone, tossing it in one hand before whipping sideways toward the lake. It skipped across the surface of the water twice before disappearing. "So where's your partner? It's not like her to let fear keep her away from a mission."

"Agent Helvetica wanted a hand with something and Fase sent her off with him."

He nodded and stood, brushing off his pants. I followed suit and we hoofed it through the snow, Chara's breath curling as a mist around us as he shivered under his coat. The trees reached in over our heads to block the light of the glowing stalactites in the ceiling and I ignited Caleb's eyes and mouth to provide us with light as we walked. He yipped happily at the infusion of power and zoomed around us a few times before settling in to lighting the way. Chara buttoned his coat as we walked, shivering against the increasing cold.

A metal clanking in the distance drew my gaze, but the thickness of the trees hid whatever was heading toward us. Chara caught the noise and immediately climbed the nearest tree. I followed his lead, cutting the illuminating magic to Caleb. He flew over and huddled against me while we watched the ground far below us. I could hear Chara's teeth chattering as the clanking grew louder. He shook violently, the cold seeping into him, fingers scraping against the tree trunk in an effort to hold on. I turned him blue to hold him in place. He sighed in relief and huddled deep around himself. Caleb rushed over and cuddled against him silently.

The clanking reached a crescendo as a pack of six metal dogs ran underneath us, making a bee line for the clearing just ahead. The dogs were black, sleek, and sharp, running with a deafening sound for whatever was in the clearing. Chara cut my magic after the last dog passed. He hit the ground with a crouch, hands down in cold snow. He scrambled to his feet and chased after the pack desperately.

"Chara! Wait!"I dropped to the forest floor running after him. " Damn it!" Hypothermia must have been setting in and he'd been ignoring it. He disappeared on the other side of a downed tree. I leapt over it, only to have whatever was hidden under it grab my leg. I hit the snow and turned, hand out, bone strike ready, and froze. A human woman with blonde hair pulled into a severe bun, blue eyes, large, round glasses, and half buried in a heavy, white winter coat stared down my bones like they didn't scare her in the least. "Alphys?"

She nodded. I spied Chara shivering next to her and scrambled to get under the log, Caleb following after me. I pulled off my jacket and wrapped it around Chara.

"That won't help him," Alphys whispered fiercely. "He has 'cold sickness.' We need to get him to the inn in Snowdin."

"There's an inn in Snow... Wait. What were the metal dogs after?"

She handed me a pair of binoculars and pointed. I could just make out the clearing through the binoculars. The dogs had surrounded a deer and were in the process of ripping it to shreds. I couldn't see the house we'd been heading for from the angle we were at.

I handed her the binoculars. "How do we get to the inn from here?"

"You're a Sans. Teleport."

I shook my skull. "If we teleport there's no telling where we'll end up. Sans said coordinates don't work properly and you could end up in a really bad place."

She pulled out her cellphone. "You can't teleport to locations on this timeline, but you can teleport to specific people. The monsters who live here are the anchors for coordinates instead of the actual location." She held up the cellphone, showing map of Snowdin with several glowing dots. She pointed to one in warehouse five. "Teleport to her."

I frowned and started working on the math in my head while I lifted Chara and put him on my back. Alphys put her hand on my shoulder as I hooked a finger in Caleb's mandible. "Here goes nothing." I took us on a short cut. The world swirled black for a moment and when everything came back together, we were standing in a warm lobby with orange walls and a red couch to the right. Despite obviously being in an old factory of some sort, the inn was inviting, and smelled just a little bit like freshly baked bread. A large white, snake woman with jagged black stripes on her scales, a white dress covering her human chest and shoulders, looked up from the book she was reading behind the long L shaped desk. On the wall behind her hung a white flag with a gray Delta Rune printed on it.

"Welcome to the Snowdin Inn. How may I help you?"

Alphys ran to the desk. "The boy has cold sickness! I need Ghost Fruit!"

The snake woman shot through a door behind her and into what appeared to be a large industrial kitchen. She came back in with a strange, green fruit that didn't seem to actually be there. I set Chara on the couch as Alphys threw down her heavy gloves to take the fruit. Chara was turning blue, frost forming around his eyes and lips. Alphys squeezed the fruit and a pale juice dripped from it, hitting Chara's forehead, and sliding down his face into the hollows around his eyes. She dripped some on his lips before forcing them open and squeezing as much juice as possible into his mouth, rubbing his throat to make him swallow. The frost slowly cleared and color returned to Chara's face.

The snake woman brought over a blanket, laying it over him. Her pink, forked, tongue flicked out, scenting us. "He will need to sleep. It's eighty gold a night, per room. We have rooms with two queen sized beds and rooms with a king sized bed and pull out sofa. Turn down service is extra. Complimentary hot breakfast including scrambled eggs, sausage, seared intestines, jellied moose nose, fried tarantulas, wasp larvae pancakes, and warm, chocolate chip muffins."

Chara's stirred a bit at the mention of chocolate, but remained asleep.

"We'll take a room with a king and sofa," Alphys said. She pulled out a wallet and handed the snake woman the money. "Were you by the lake with the baby head house?" Alphys asked.

"Yeah."

She nodded, pushing a stray lock of blonde hair that'd slipped loose from her bun behind her ear. "He threw something in the lake, didn't he? I don't understand how it works, but it's a sure way to contract cold sickness. Might just be a kind of curse effect."

The snake woman returned with a key. "Room 256."

Alphys took the key. "Thank you."

The snake woman nodded, returned to her post behind the desk, and picked up her book again. I picked Chara up and followed Alphys up the stairs.

Once out of the lobby, you could see the rest of what had once been a factory lined with offices on four floors with a large, open interior. The offices on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors had all been converted into cozy hotel rooms with comfortable beds, though the art that hung over the beds wasn't exactly relaxing. Depictions of gruesome witch burnings, many tentacled krakens eating ships, and the occasional horrific portrait with eyes that seemed to follow you, monopolized the art choices. The open interior was covered by a glass sky light, which was an odd choice considering there wasn't any sunlight to shine down through it. Someone was on the roof though, carefully brushing the snow off of the glass. The first floor was a large open area dominated by a massive middle of the room fireplace. A few monsters sat on the large couches that surrounded the fireplace while others sat at tables closer to the kitchen, talking quietly.

Finding our room, Alphys held the door for me.

I laid Chara on the bed. "Why did you lead several humans away to the lab and what did you do to them?"

"I didn't lead anyone to the Lab. I was stuck in the mirror maze in the amusement park in New Home for a while and when I came out, I found I had a doppelganger running around. The damn thing's been doing experiments on whatever it can get it's hands on and ruining my work." She pealed of her coat and sat down on the sofa. "I was able to get two of the humans my doppelganger kidnapped out of the lab, but I couldn't find the two she turned into children."

"Sans got them."

"Did he take them to the dimension he goes to when he leaves here?"

I sat down next to her, relaxing on the couch. "You know about the other universes?"

She nodded and began to pet Caleb absently. "Sans told me about them."

Pulling out my phone, I texted Frisk and Sans to let them know where to find us. "Where are the humans you found?"

"Provided they haven't left it, they are in a safe place in New Home."

I frowned. "What's going on here, Alphys? How are you surviving down here?"

"I figured out pretty quick that there were safe places down here and started using them to hide out before actually making a home on the second floor of the Lab." She pulled out her cell phone. "Based on the sounds Sans' phone made when he dialed, I put together the number he was using to call off the timeline and used it. I got someone named Fase. Fase explained that what I was experiencing here was a combination of the many kinds of horror found topside. Once I knew that, I knew what I had to do to navigate it."

Alphys smiled at Caleb. "Monsters here can be split into three groups. One group of monsters are 'active,' or doing their specific monster thing, all the time. The second group has specific times when they are active and not. When not active, they are either asleep or simply resting and can be safely interacted with. The last group doesn't have an active or inactive period. They are much like Sans, a monster that just is. Some of them are still nasty pieces of work, but a few are safe to be around." She ran a hand along Caleb's horns. "I also found that if you claim a place as your home, you are safe there. No monsters can enter it and any you invite in cannot harm you. All in all, this place is fascinating!"

"Aren't you worried that you won't ever leave?"

Alphys blinked at me, honestly confused. "Leave? Why would I want to do that?"

I sat up, looking at her. "Alphys, do you remember living on the surface? In sunlight?"

"I... I don't..." Her confusion calmed and she looked at the wall, focused as her memories played out in her head. "I remember working somewhere as a researcher. Someplace with a lot of light and big windows to let all that light in. I remember being tasked to do something. Some experiment I think. I don't remember what at all. Not even a hint. I just remember other team members refusing. I remember going off to do that task. After that..." She shook her head, dislodging a few more strands of hair from the bun. "The first clear memory I have after that was standing on a bridge looking over the city of New Home."

Alphys looked down at her hands. "I don't know what I did and I don't remember who I was before I came here." She looked at me, a long held resignation in her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that whatever I did, I'm one of the monsters now." She sighed.

I shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe whatever you did simply got you stuck here."

A sharp, insistent knock got me off the sofa. I opened the door to find Frisk and Sans standing on the mezzanine. Behind them was a young man with dark hair and eyes in a beaten up jacket and jeans. An unconscious Alphys, hands tied at the wrists, hung over his shoulder.

"I see you found another of the humans."

Frisk nodded with a happy smile. "Yept! Alphys was trying to pull one over on him and..." She gasped and rushed over to Chara, taking one hand in hers to check his pulse, the other resting on his forehead. "What happened?"

"Cold sickness," the Alphys next to me answered. "He's cured. He just needs some sleep."

Sans froze when he saw Alphys. He looked back and forth between the two. "What's going on, Alphys?"

"Doppelganger," I answered.

His eye sockets narrowed. "So which one is the real one?"

The Alphys next to me, gazed at her feet. "I am."

Sans frowned. He jerked a boney thumb at the unconscious Alphys. "Really? Because this chick is totally the kind of asshole I remember."

Alphys head dropped and she stared at her her feet for a moment before she squeezed her eyes shut. Sans frowned, unsure what to make of the action.

I sat back, resting my hands behind my skull. "It's you're timeline. You tell us who's real and who isn't." I looked to the young man. "I'm Bones, by the way."

"Mark. You look a lot like one of the skeleton monsters were I come from."

"Not surprised. There are a couple like me."

"Yeah, but you're a dude. My version is totally a chick. Grizzled as fuck though."

Frisk smiled brightly. "Oh woah! You've met Iris! No wonder you haven't been having much in the way of problems here." She turned to the bed and shook her partner. "Wake up, Chara. I have chocolate."

"Liar," he slurred groggily. "You always gobble up your share before we even leave for a mission." He smiled at her before sitting up.

"How do you feel?"

"Better than I did back in the forest." He leaned forward a little. "What happened to me?"

I frowned. "Apparently, when you threw that rock in the lake, it hit you with a disease for your trouble."

Chara groaned, flopping back on the bed. "I really hate this place. Are Ava and Noah okay?"

Frisk nodded. "They reverted back to being adults in a very painful fashion once we entered the void. They're recovering in Az's medical bay while we wait on Fase to identify where they belong. Agent Niagra was happy to see his wife. Thankfully, she wasn't gone that long our time. Az was checking her out when we left."

Sans sighed as he and Mark came in the room. "Can you wake her?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Give me a minute." Frisk pulled off her backpack and dug through it.

Mark gently set the bound Alphys on the sofa next to the one sitting next to me. She scooted closer to me, putting a little distance between herself and her double. Frisk pulled out a smelling salt and broke it open, waving it under the bound Alphys nose. The bound one jerked upright and looked around. She caught sight of Mark and glared at him. He only smiled.

Sans coughed, drawing the bound Alphys' attention. "In the dating simulation video game "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie" what is Mew Mew's favorite food?"

The bound Alphys just blinked at him like he was crazy.

The one next to me immediately perked up. "Oh! Oh! I know this one! It's snail ice cream! In the fourth chapter, everyone goes to the beach! And she buys ice cream for all of her friends! But it's snail flavor and she's the only one who wants it! It's one of my favorite parts of the game because it's actually a very powerful message about friendship and..." The words fell off as she looked at Sans. "You laughed so hard ketchup came out of your nose hole."

Sans shoulders dropped. "Something happened to you in the mirror maze."

Alphys looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Talk about it."

She shuddered and pointed at her bound self. "We're both the same person. She... she's just all the really awful parts." She sighed "I managed to sneak the other two humans she had out of the Lab. I left them in a safe place in New Home."

Chara looked at Mike. "Is that the one from the house in the clearing?"

I shook my head. "No. We retreated to take care of you."

He nodded as he stood. "So only three left then. The two Alphys hid and the one in the house. So what do we do with Alphys?"

Sans yanked both up with blue magic. "We toss them back in the mirror maze, since she's human, it should refuse them back into a single whole."

"I don't want that!" both Alphys yelled. "I don't want to be her anymore!" They struggled against the magic binding them.

The unbound Alphys kicked at the air. "The fortune teller in the park said that if I ever rejoined with her I would become like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! I don't want that! My right hand will never know what my left is doing!"

Caleb began to huff, eyes glowing brightly. Shit. "Put her down, Sans."

He followed my gaze, getting a look at the Gaster Blaster ready to unleash right into the back of his skull. He set the unbound Alphys down and Caleb settled. "All right then." He sighed and looked at both Alphys.

"Great. So what do we do with two Alphys?" Chara asked.

"Ask the fortune teller in Ember," Sans and Alphys said at the same time.

"Too bad I can't just short cut right to her."

"Yes, you can," Alphys said. She stood. "You can't teleport to a place, but you can teleport to a person. Calculate to the ticket taker chained to the Haunted Mansion ride. That's right next to her box."

Chara grimaced. "Will that actually work?"

"It worked for me," I confirmed. Standing, I brushed off my jeans. "How far are the two you hid from the amusement park?"

"A couple city blocks." Alphys looked at her phone. "It's almost morning, which means everything will be at it's least active. That should give us a clear shot to the safe place."

Sans frowned. "You sure about this, Alph?"

She nodded as she pulled her coat back on.

Frisk turned to Mark. "Do you want to go home now or help us get the two people in New Home?"

Mark shrugged. "I can help you out." He smiled at the doppelganger. "I'd be very happy to help you out." She growled at him and his smile only grew wider.

Sans held out a hand. We all stepped forward, placing hands on him, Frisk grabbing Caleb. I put a hand on the doppelganger and the world swirled black. When color fell back into place, we stood outside a ticket stand. A man without feet, hobbling on exposed tibia and fibula, leaned sleepily against the ticket stand. A chain hooked on the right leg through the gap in the bones, kept him bound to his post. He jerked awake when we appeared and yawned sleepily. He lazily waved us through the aesthetically broken, iron gate. The park itself was mostly empty, but not in a creepy way. The few monsters you could see were sweeping up.

"Holy shit. It worked!" Sans smiled.

He and Alphys walked up to a fortune teller machine sitting just outside the Haunted Mansion. It was a shiny, gold leafed box with what appeared to be a beautiful human woman sitting inside, she opened her eyes when we approached, revealing the yellow eyes of a bird of prey. Closer inspection revealed clawed hands reminiscent of a hawk. If she had any hair it was covered by a bright white scarf embroidered with golden stars that draped over a dark blue dress. In front of her sat a glowing ball of pink crystal.

Sans jerked a thumb at the bound Alphys. "What do we do about having two Alphys? We only want one and preferably a single one that doesn't have Jekyll and Hyde syndrome."

The fortuneteller tapped the glass over the coin slot. Sans dug out two gold coins and stuck them in the slot. The fortuneteller ran a hand over the glowing crystal and looked into the light for a few moments. The yellow eyes flicked back to us. She pointed to the bound Alphys as a ticket printed from another slot.

Alphys grabbed it and read it aloud. "Toss the bound one back in the mirror maze."

Sans looked at the ticket for a moment before shrugging. The bound Alphys fought his magic with renewed vigor. He stalked over to the mirror maze, kicked the door open, and threw the doppelganger in as it snarled. It dissolved as soon as it crossed the threshold. He turned, brushing off his hands. "Which way to the humans, Alph?"

She sighed with relief and looked back toward the gate. "That way."

We followed Alphys as she carefully navigated the gray-blue monochromatic streets. Monsters were about, but none seemed interested in us in the least. Several shuffled past sleepily. Others seemed to be making morning commutes to work. A few gave Alphys a wave or a hello as we headed for a large, unassuming building painted the same dank gray as the rest of the area. A white flag with the Delta Rune in gray on it hung over the door. We followed Alphys inside.

In stark contrast to the exterior, the lobby we entered was painted a bright yellow. Beaten up couches and chairs littered the room. 'Youth Hostel' was emblazoned in blue across one wall with a countered window in the 'o' of 'hostel.' A lizard monster sat in the window, filling out paperwork. A door into what I assumed was the rest of the hostel was in the middle of the 't.' Two humans sat with a family of werewolves in various stages of transformation, playing what amounted to this world's version of chutes and ladders.

"Chris? Gerald?" Alphys called. "I've got your ride home."

Both humans looked up and smiled. After making some goodbyes, Frisk and Sans took the three humans off timeline. Alphys, Chara, and I sat among the many chairs, waiting for them to return. Caleb landed on my lap and I ran my phalanges over his horns.

"This part has been surprisingly uneventful," Chara remarked.

"It's because it's morning," Alphys explained. "Everything is really calm in the mornings. From what I can tell you guys got here in the early evening, just as things were starting to kick into high gear."

"The werewolves didn't seem to weirded out by the humans," Chara noted.

Alphys nodded. "There are other humans down here besides me. But if they aren't careful, they don't stay human for long." She frowned. "Be careful in the forest when you go to the house. The house should be a safe spot, but the forest is always dark. There isn't a schedule in it. The metal dogs you saw? Those are only a tiny taste of what's hidden in the woods." She lifted her hands and counted off her fingers. "Wendigo, hodags, giant vampire bats, black shucks, shadow people... the list goes on. Watch your backs. If you hear a weird noise, hide as fast as possible. Climbing a tree or hiding below ground level works best. With the exception of the things in there that fly, most things won't look up to see you, and being below ground level, like we were under the tree earlier, masks your heat signature."

"Speaking of the forest, why where you there?" I asked.

She pulled out her phone and swiped a finger across it. "When I finally got out of the mirror maze, I saw a child running through Ember. I thought it was one of the monsters that looked human until one of the Frankenstein monsters who run the news stand asked me if I had kids." She held up her phone. "I made a program to help me track anomalies in the Underground. It's how I found Chris and Gerald and got them out of the Lab. It took me a while to convince them that I wasn't the other me." She frowned. "After that, I tracked an anomaly to the forest when I heard the metal dog pack and hit the ground. It was pure luck that I ran into the both of you."

Frisk and Sans returned, appearing just behind Alphys. She jumped, squeaking. She turned and smacked Sans' shoulder as he chuckled.

Frisk clapped her hands together sharply. "So one human left?"

I nodded as I stood. "Can we teleport to the human directly?"

Alphys shook her head. "The human is an anomaly, so they won't count as a coordinate. It's best to teleport back to Snowdin and enter the forest from there." She sighed. "I need to assess the damage my double did to my lab and get things back in order. If you ever come back to this timeline, please visit! This place isn't so bad once you know how to get around." She held out her hand.

Chara shook the offered hand. "Thanks for saving me."

I shook her hand next. "Thanks for the help." She smiled and patted Caleb on the snout one last time before disappearing out the front door.

Sans held out his hand. "To Snowdin?"

I put my hand in his, being sure to grab Caleb. Frisk and Chara grabbed his arm and the world went dark for a moment before the cool ever night of Snowdin appeared around us. A very surprised were-bear jumped when we appeared next to him, huffed at us, and then walked away. A little later in the morning now, everything was quiet. One of the haunted dolls from the haunted doll factory was sitting on a lawn chair, just outside the factory door. She looked eerily lovely with milky pale porcelain and rich brown hair over half lidded, brown eyes, wearing a long coat and warm gloves. She was enjoying a steaming cup of something while she chatted with a very hairy yeti sitting on the ground next to her. She waved when she saw Sans. He smiled sheepishly and waved back.

Chara elbowed his ribs. "Hey, Ladies Man. We need to get to the forest."

"Huh? Oh yeah."

"So what's your girlfriend's name?"

Sans groaned. "She isn't my girlfriend. And her name's Damali."

Frisk smiled real big. "First name basis? Sounds like a girlfriend to me."

Sans put up his hood and pulled the strings to hide the face of his skull, while the kids had a laugh at his expense. We headed to the cliff over the forest and followed Sans down a switchback trail down the side of the mostly steep mountain. As we came closer to the forest's edge, Sans straightened up.

"Did Alphys tell you about the stuff in the forest?"

"Yeah," I answered. "If you hear a weird noise hide."

Sans nodded. "Get into a tree or hide underground. But most importantly, don't touch anything that looks interesting. There's a city down here. It's been long abandoned and has been claimed by nature, but it's huge. It's older than the oldest monsters down here and they said it was an over grown ruin when they were young. Touching anything that comes out of that place is likely to curse you with something particularly awful. The quickest way to the house is down the main road right through the middle and that's they way we'll go." He looked at Frisk specifically. "Remember. No touchies."

She saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

"If we get split up, head directly for the house," I added.

Everyone nodded and we stepped off the path and into the dark forest. Trees reach up and over us, blocking the sparkling stalactites overhead. We followed Sans, snow crunching under our boots as we steadily walked toward a glowing, green light. As the light brightened, the trees looked less like trees and more like buildings, covered over with vines and moss. After a few minutes, the tree line pulled away completely and we walked quietly on a stone path overgrown with moss and slightly slimy. Caleb rushed around us, flying up and down and enjoying the sudden freedom of the open space. He flew up to every building along the main drag, checking every door and window. I wondered if a city like this existed in the Underground back home. Caleb certainly acted like he knew this place well.

We came up to the source of the green glow, a fountain spewing green, glowing water. Frisk stopped for a moment, staring at it. The center pedestal consisted of statues of a group of human children dancing in a circle. As we approached we could see various forest animals and a few curious monsters in the water. Where the animals were submerged, they appeared whole, but the body parts touching the air were in various states of decomposition. A sheep looked almost alive under the water despite it's spine and ribs decaying above the water.

"Do you think it would be all right to take a picture?" Frisk whispered.

Sans frowned. "I don't know."

Frisk pursed her lips and pulled out her phone, but instead of taking a photo, she held the camera on it to film the fountain instead. We continued down the road and away from the glowing. As we neared the end of the street, the trees began to step back in, taking over with long reaching arms caked in snow. We'd been incredibly lucky so far. No monsters, no curses, no-

There was a sound behind me like metal feet were tearing themselves off a concrete pedestal. I turned to see the statue children on the fountain climbing down, splashing as they hit the water.

"Oh come on," I groaned.

"We aren't that far! Make a run for the house!" Sans yelled.

We all dashed after him, Chara's fist gripping Frisk's coat, pulling her along. I spared a glance back and saw the statue children using the submerged animals as stepping stones, cracking the bones underneath heavy feet as they exited the pool. They came after us, metal feet pounding the broken cobblestone street, carrying the glow of the water with them. Frisk stumbled, unable to keep up with her partner. I quickly scooped her up and tossed her on my back. Chara jumped, grabbing a hold of Caleb, and holding onto his horns as we broke through the tree line and into the clearing.

An air rending screech cut through the stillness before dying down to silence. I looked behind. The glow was gone. Only darkness lived in the trees.

In front of us was a small, and very homey looking cottage. Warm light beckoned from the windows. A white square had been painted on the wall next to the front door with a gray Delta Rune painted in the middle of it. I set frisk down as Chara let go of Caleb, giving him some pets in thanks for the swift ride. The sparkling of the stalactites no longer blocked, the entire area was illuminated. We walked swiftly to the front door and knocked. Inside we heard something hit the floor and a general scrambling before silence. I tried the door and found it unlocked. Checking to make sure there wasn't a anything likely to hurt us when we stepped inside, I opened the door wide and we all stepped aside as several books came flying at us.

Chara snickered. "It's rude to throw things at people looking to help you." He caught one book as it came directly at his head. The thrown objects ceased when we entered the house only to have our clothing pulled on, attempting to drag us out the door.

"That's one persistent ghost," Frisk commented, off handedly.

We looked around a small living warm, cozy with the warmth of a fireplace crackling. A large book about carousel horse history lay open on the coffee table in front of the couch, a half eaten muffin on a plate next to it. A child in a striped hoodie huddled in a shadowed corner of the room. Wedged between the couch and the wall, their knees were drawn up to their chest, brown hair a tangled mess, eyes squeezed shut.

Frisk knelt in front of the child, extending a hand. "Hey, there. You don't have to be afraid of us. We're here to get you home."

Blood red eyes snapped open as the child lifted their head, revealing an awful, black smile. The child slashed at Frisk with a knife hidden in one hand, catching her in the arm with one long cut.

"Ow!" Frisk yelled snatching her arm back.

"Frisk!" Chara ran to her.

The child gasped, face falling, eyes turning brown as they dropped the knife with a clatter. They struggled out of their hiding spot, tears streaming down their face. Chara knelt next to Frisk and held the wound shut while Frisk popped some Monster Candy. The child held both hands over their mouth while they watched, gasping between their sobs.

Frisk reached out with the uninjured arm. "It's okay, Princess. See? It's healing just fine."

The child sobbed and nearly tackled Frisk in their rush to hug her. Frisk cooed, petting their hair. Once her arm was healed and the blood wiped away, she touched the child's face.

"Look. See? All better. Nothing to worry about."

The child pulled away, gulping air for a moment before settling down and touching the smooth skin of Frisk's arm. They looked at Frisk's face, staring into her eyes before pointing at their own face, then at Frisk, and back again.

Frisk smiled. "Yeah. I'm Frisk too. Are you choosing not to speak or can't you talk at all?"

The child indicated a scar on their throat. Frisk touched it gently and they flinched. Chara sighed and the child gasped, really getting a look at him for the first time.

"Cha... Cha...!"

"Chara? Yeah. I'm a Chara." He ruffled the kid's hair. "Let me guess. The annoying ghost that's been trying to scare us off is your Chara, right?"

The child nodded.

Frisk smiled patiently. She pulled out a flat, star shaped lollipop and a flashlight. "Say aaaah!"

The child opened their mouth and Frisk used the lollipop to hold the child's tongue down while illuminating the child's throat with a flashlight.

"Oh, Princess. You've got a significant amount of scar tissue over your vocal chords, which is why you can't talk." She turned off the flashlight and let the child have the lollipop. "This wound goes right through the carotid artery. With that much scar tissue, how much circulation do you really have on this side of your neck to the brain?" Frisk looked back at the rest of us. "I want Az to check her out before we get her home."

I nodded. The child looked over Frisk's shoulder and her eyes zeroed in on Sans. They smiled brightly for a moment and scrambled over to him only to stop, face falling as they shook their head. Standing, I finally had a good look at them and had to stop myself from swearing. There was no way this child was older than my Sophia. That would make her nine at the most.

Sans patted her shoulder. "Sorry, kiddo. I ain't your Sans."

Chara helped Frisk stand. "Will the asshole ghost me come out now? Or do I have to force you with magic?"

The child turned to Chara, shaking their head and waving their hands in a panic.

Chara raised an eyebrow. "All right. I get it. Don't force your Chara to do anything. Well, if they want to leave, they'll need to get front and center."

The child pointed behind us. When I turned, I found the apparition of a teen floating in the door way. It shot over to the child, wrapping arms around her protectively.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'm the same way about both of my Frisks."

"You can see me?" the ghost breathed.

"Different timeline, different rules," I said.

The child held up two fingers, questioning.

Frisk beamed. "Ah! I didn't know you cared so much!"

"Who said you were the second?"

She elbowed him for his trouble and the child giggled, but still held up two fingers.

Frisk took the child's hand in hers. "I'm his mission partner. His Frisk is back home right now. Do you know that you aren't in your own Underground?" The child nodded. "Good. What's going to happen is we are going to take you back to our base. It's a big building with lots of humans and monsters working in it. My boss is a doctor and he's going to look you over while we find out where you and your Chara belong. Once we know, we'll call your Sans and get you home. Okay?"

The child nodded.

"I'm going to take you through the void between worlds. It will make your stomach feel like it's doing somersaults. If you need to throw up when we come out of the void, that's perfectly okay and completely normal."

The child smiled and touched her face, the fascination Frisks had with each other setting in.

Frisk picked the child up, cradling her close. "Ready, Princess?"

The child nodded and held onto her tightly around the neck. The ghostly Chara put their hands on their Frisk and we made the jump home. We landed just outside Asriel's lab. The child heaved a few times, but didn't toss her cookies. I'd have to rib my Sunflower about that later. It took her a year and a half before she stopped being sick from the jumps, but a nine year old does fine on the first try? I stifled a laugh. Holding tightly to Frisk, the kid looked around as she entered the lab. I looked for the goat king, but didn't see him.

"Hey, Az! We found the last one. She's a Frisk and she's got some scar tissue I'm worried might be interfering with her circulation. It's definitely interfering with her ability to speak."

"Age?" Asriel called from a back room.

"How old are you?" Frisk asked.

The child pointed to the number nine on a nearby chart.

"She's nine years old."

"Is her Sans here?"

"Nope."

Asriel came out of the room. "Someone get a hold of the child's Sans."

Chara raised a hand, his phone already to his ear. "Already on it."

The child and the ghost both stared up at Asriel, completely speechless. Considering the goat king was taller then me by a good foot and a half, he towered over them.

"Asriel? Is this what he would have looked like if I hadn't...?" The ghost, having finally spoken, wailed with a deep anguish, the red in their pupils disappearing.

The child turned, immediately grabbing the ghost, holding them close. She looked at Frisk desperately, pleading with her eyes.

Chara sighed. He lifted his hand and slapped the ghost across the face. "You're hundreds of years old! Get a hold of yourself!"

The ghost whipped around, eyes completely black and bleeding out.

Chara snorted. "Not impressed."

The ghost blinked at him suddenly lost.

Chara pointed at the child. "That's your Frisk. It is your job to care for them. You obviously care a lot about them, and they obviously have some issues. If you can't pull it together, you're little more than dead weight."

The ghost turned away. "As if you would understand. You have a body."

Chara yanked the ghost around to face him. "For several hundred years, I didn't. And when I finally lived again through my Frisk, I worked constantly to keep from stealing the precious little energy she had. That I have a body now is both a fluke and a blessing. And I haven't wasted any of it with sorrow. Now apologize to your Frisk."

He let go and stepped back. The ghost rubbed the back of its neck before hugging the child and whispering in their ear. The child wrapped an arm around them.

Asriel looked at me and I gave him a shrug. He pulled a chair over and sat down, which put him on eye level with kiddo. "Howdy! I'm Asriel. I'm a doctor. Do you mind if I have a look at your vocal chords?"

The child opened their mouth wide, sticking out their tongue. Asriel used a tongue depressor to push the child's tongue down and had a look. "This is scar tissue consistent with a stab wound to the neck." He pulled the tongue depressor away and gently lifted their chin to look at the neck. He pressed very gently with the pad of one finger against the skin. "It feels like there's scarring around the carotid and she might not have full circulation. How did this happen?"

The child looked away.

The ghost sighed heavily. "Frisk forced a load."

Asriel sighed. "Do you have other scars like this as well?"

The child nodded without looking up.

"May I see?"

They lifted their shirt for a moment, but that was more then enough. Chara stepped out of the lab and into my wife's office, shutting the door behind him. It did little to muffle the swearing. Frisk hugged the child close and Asriel looked to me.

"As soon as her Sans gets here, I'll talk to him about removing the scar tissue over the vocal cords and checking her circulation." He turned to the child. "Do you get dizzy a lot?"

The kid thought about it and shook her head.

"Oh that's a relief. I'm going to call a friend to come and talk to you. That friend is a Frisk. Until your Sans gets here, how about we get you a bath, a change of clothes, and something to eat?"

The child nodded.

Sophia, in all her brown haired, blue eyed glory, ran into the lab, only to skid to a halt, back up in a dramatic fashion, and stand at the door. "May I come in, Uncle Azzy?"

The goat king sighed with a smile. "Yes, you may, So-So. Just don't run."

She flung her arms around me. "Dad!"

I hugged her back. "Hey, kiddo. Is your mom back yet?"

"Nope!"

"Where's your brother?"

"He's helping Uncle Ethan's Papyrus make dinner." Sophia spied the child in Frisk's arms. "Hey! I'm Sophia! You're Frisk, right? Wanna go play?"

I smiled as my brother in law rolled his eyes. "Hey, Sweetheart, Frisk needs a bath, some clothes, and some dinner. Can you handle that?"

Sophia looked at me with a bright smile. "Oh yeah!" She held out a hand and the child took it. "We'll get dinner first. Papyrus is an amazing chef! No bad spaghetti aged in an oaken cask for us! He makes really fancy food!" The girls ran out the door, the ghost floating after them.

Asriel put a hand over his eyes. "What the hell did I just see?"

Frisk put her arms around him. "Some Frisks have it really hard."

"The one thing that has long buoyed me in the face of my father's declarations was knowing that he hadn't actually killed any of those who fell. That I knew, deep down, that if any human had made it to him and the barrier, he would simply have explained that they couldn't leave, and given them a home with him. But that child took a trident to the chest. She has remnants of burn scars on her skin which is a sign that she faced off with Toriel." He looked to me. "I don't get it. I legitimately don't understand. I never attempted to keep anyone who fell by force. I simply asked them to stay and told them they were welcome to come back, just knock at the door."

He patted Frisk's back and she let go so he could stand. "I need to talk to my sister when she gets back."

I patted his shoulder. "She'll be home soon, man."


	3. Ep3 Twilight of the Illuminati Vampires

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. HUGE apologies to White Wolf Publishing. This story is copyrighted to me.

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 3 - Twilight of the Vampire Illuminati  
(Army!Frisk/Church is our narrator!)

I stepped into my office and found Agent Helvetica leaning against the wall with the ever present lollipop in his mouth, wearing his standard issue black turtle neck over black cargo pants, and double belts. "What've you got for me, G?"

He pushed himself up and away from the wall. "*Hey, Toots. Frisk is missing and I have absolutely no idea where he is. No one's made any claims or sent any ransoms. Worse, his little girlfriend, Mia, is missing too. And since her daddy is loaded, she has access to the kind of money that means they could be anywhere."

"So you think they might have just up and left?" I frowned, confused. "I mean, I know he'll just run off, but he's been good about saying where he's going, right? How old is Frisk now? Sixteen?"

G sighed and nodded. "*I'm really trying not to think about that, but they're both old enough to get into _that kind_ of trouble."

"Have they been that serious?"

Agent Helvetica thought about that for a moment. "*I haven't seen anything physical, but they're pretty into each other. I honestly figured that the shine would wear off and Mia wouldn't be all that interested in dating the 'monster kid' after a while, but she's genuinely keen on him."

"Is she the girl he saved a few years back?"

"*Yeah."

"That shine is never wearing off, G."

He sighed. "*I know." He snorted, a smile touching his skull. "*And now I'm the watch dog for two problematic kids."

"Where were they last?" I waved to Bones as he walked by, his oldest Gaster Blaster, Caleb, floating after him.

"*Tori says they were up in his room, playing a video game."

"And Flowey?"

He shook his skull, tossing an empty lollipop stick in my trash can before popping a fresh one in his mouth. "*Prince Asriel tends to be elsewhere when Frisk and Mia are hanging together. Lately he's been popping up in the Lab to harass Alphys, but he's also been better about spending time with his parents."

"Let me grab my equipment bag and we'll check Toriel's first." He followed me out the door, just in time for us to catch a glimpse of Bones before he and his GB disappeared into the void. I shivered a little, not enjoying the thought that he'd be so far away on a very particular timeline. While I was happy to accept another mission, I'd rather be with my husband.

C's voice wrapped around my inner ear. "You okay? Your 'at home' self is staring out the window, forlorn."

I nodded and he chuckled.

"God damn, but you do moon after that skeleton sometimes."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't try to deny it. I missed Bones when he wasn't around. Agent Niagra came down the hall and stopped next to me.

"Hey, Larry."

"Hey. Have you seen my wife? She was supposed to be here by now and isn't answering her phone."

I shook my head. "She's coming by for lunch, right? Maybe she stopped at a drive through. Is she that late?"

He shook his head. "I just have a bad feeling is all." He walked away, scratching the back of his head.

I frowned and unlocked the door to the equipment room. Pulling my pack from the shelf, I stopped for a moment and looked at G. "How are monster/human relations right now on your timeline?"

"*Pretty standard. No one's tried anything stupid in a while. But that's not necessarily a good sign."

I nodded and snapped a holster into place, arming myself before pulling on my jacket. When I'd pulled the door to the equipment room shut, I triggered the lock. You can never be too careful with the increasing number of children running around the building these days. G held out an arm and I took it, disappearing into the void with him. We touched outside a small, white cottage sitting in a row of similar houses in a small suburban development. Green and purple ornamental cabbages surrounded big bloom, red and gold chrysanthemums in the little garden beds on either side of a dark wood door.

G knocked and immediately let himself in. Toriel looked up from her nervous knitting as we stepped into her cozy living room of patchwork quilts and bright, kitschy decor. She sat on a bright, red couch that sat opposite a wood mantle fireplace set in an accent wall painted a distressed, aqua blue. Two over stuffed and very red chairs rested closer to the fireplace with an oval, too small, coffee table over a rug in a psychedelic pattern finishing the look.

C chuckled in my head. "Wow. I didn't know there was a version of my mother who was into this sort of decor. All it needs is a salacious art nude over the fireplace."

I stifled a laughed.

Toriel stood and rushed to us, her prim, dark suit clashing with her interior. She hugged me tightly and that strange pang I always felt around a Toriel came over me. Some loss I didn't understand because I hadn't experienced it personally, always haunted me. Or maybe it was C's memories mixing with mine.

"Thank you for coming, Frisk!" She stepped back. "There still hasn't been a call. Mia's father was here until a few minutes ago. He left to get us some dinner." She hugged G. "Oh, Sans. What are we going to do?"

"*I brought the specialist." He gestured to me. "*If anyone can figure it out, it's her."

I nodded. "I'll check out Frisk's room first and see what we can find. Have you moved anything in the room?"

She shook her head, long ears swinging with her vehemence. "I've left everything as is."

"Thank you. Please wait here."

I turned to G and he led me up the stairs to the second floor which had a grand total of three rooms and one bath. He opened the door to Frisk's room and my jaw dropped. The walls in one corner of the room had been covered with black and purple cut foam squares. Two studio lights lit the corner, supplying light to a long table with a huge, flat screen monitor, keyboard, two controllers, two sets of headphones, and a podcasting microphone. A DSLR camera was set up to one side on a tripod.

"G?"

"*Yeah?"

"They weren't just playing a video game. They were filming themselves playing a video game. This is the exact same set up Black uses."

G rubbed his skull. "*I leave them alone for five minutes and they become Youtubers."

I chuckled. "This kind of set up means they have a dedicated channel to either stream live, post videos, or a combination of the two. It means they have public personas that we aren't aware of and depending on how many followers they have, they might be well known online. That really opens up what might have happened to them."

G slapped his skeletal hand over the face of his skull. "*Problematic Frisks..."

"Not as problematic as me, right?"

"*You are a full fledged adult and can actually take care of yourself, so, no."

I checked the camera. "It's still filming." I paused the camera and rewound the image back to the kids. I let it play.

Frisk, a sixteen year old with short, brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a Legend of Zelda tee, sat next to Mia, a sixteen year old girl with long, brown hair, green eyes, wearing an overly ironic Star Wars tee. They had the headphones on and were checking their recording settings before they started performing for the camera, going over an oft rehearsed introduction. I turned up the volume.

"Hey everyone! Welcome to Scary Games Saturday! I'm Frantic!"

"And I'm Cornucopia! In honor of Halloween, we are playing your pick for the most awful horror game out there."

Frisk held up a box displaying an all too beautiful, male vampire pouting as the wind blew through his long, blond hair. "That's right! We're playing Twilight of the Vampire Illuminati!"

"This visual novel is non-eroge, so no sexy times, but it is chock full of vampire angst, terrible dialogue trees, and a lot of story branch favoritism in the case of 'Lamongello.' And since he's the guy on the cover, we're going to play his route."

Frisk disappeared for a moment to pop the cd into the tower set up under the table. As the game loaded and the music began to play, they lip synced to the bad song that played over the intro. Pretending to be angst ridden vampires collapsing into each other's arms, they erupted into raucous laughter.

"Oh look. Instead of start, it says 'ENTER' in bold, blood dripping letters!"

Mia laughed. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

Frisk pressed the button and they both disappeared. I stopped the camera and shot around to the computer screen. Moving the mouse turned on the screen to reveal an anime-esque Frisk and Mia curled together in the corner of a standard visual novel classroom and seemed to be sleeping. The transport had changed their clothing, putting Frisk in a button down and tie under a hoodie and Mia into a plain, spaghetti strap, pale yellow dress that made her look especially innocent.

G leaned over my shoulder. "*They're in the game? How the fuck?"

"Good question." I grabbed the game box and flipped it over to read the description on the back. _*ENTER the world of the Vampire Illuminati and help them achieve world domination while finding love.*_ I frowned and pulled out my phone.

G just looked at me. "*Calling Fase?"

"Nope. Just the Devil."

"*Better you then me."

I gave him a false glare as I dialed. The phone picked up before the first ring even finished. A voice as happy as a fat snake slithered from the speaker. "Hello, my darling! To what do I owe the occasion?"

I rubbed my forehead, an image of Black, yellow eyes glowing with excitement, in my head. "Have you ever heard of 'Twilight of the Vampire Illuminati?'"

I could hear the sound of glasses moving in the background, as if his brother or his Frisk were down in the lab with him. "That piece of trash? Of course. It's rather infamous. Has a tendency to really _suck_ you into it."

I refused to laugh at the poor joke. "That's the problem. The game has sucked Agent Helvetica's Frisk and his girlfriend into it."

The happy voice disappeared to be replaced by what I'd come to identify as the 'Sans' voice. "Impossible. Being sucked into a video game is outside the scope of Agent Helvetica's timeline."

"Yesterday, I found three people on the wrong timeline, so this, right now, seems to be about par for the course. How do I get them out?"

Black sighed. "Put me on speaker so Agent Helvetica can hear me." I hit the button. "The game was made by the Vampire Illuminati on a cyber timeline. The idea was to suck teens into the game in order to create a vampire army to take over the world. In order to get anyone trapped in the game out, you need to enter and defeat Lamongello. Staking him is enough. You won't be able to take weapons in with you and will be forced to improvise for such in the game. To get to Lamongello, you need to make friends with all the other vampires in the game without getting bitten. That's way tougher then you'd imagine. If any vampire finds you interesting enough to be friends, they'll also be interested in seeing how you taste. C, I'm emailing you a walkthrough. Use it to help you get around, but remember that the vampires, while incredible stereotypes, will act outside of the norms of a video game."

"I suppose you want the usual for your help?"

The happy slither of a voice returned. "Oh yes! I just got a copy of Pony Island! And I'd love to have you play it with White."

I blinked. "That sounds way too cute to be your normal fare."

His voice went deadpan. "Prepare to be surprised."

"And what did White do to-" the phone went dead and I sighed. Well, at least I'd get to have some fun with White later.

G sat down next to me. "*What's the plan?"

"We go in, we beat the big bad, and we get out. Don't get bitten." I looked at him. "That's not as much of a problem for you as it is for me."

"*Have you ever been bitten by a vampire before?"

C's voice spilled from my collar com. "Yeah. Their fangs hit my circuits and it didn't go well for them after that."

I held out a hand. "Ready?"

G placed his hand in mine and I hit ENTER. The world went white for a moment and when everything fell into place, I wasn't in uniform anymore. My clothing consisted of a baby blue, lace edged blouse and long brown slacks. Though my shoulders were covered, the blouse was a little too low cut and my neck was completely exposed. Nervous habit made me touch C's connecting chip. Unable to cover it any other way, I untangled the braid in my hair. I'd probably regret it later but at least it made me feel covered. It was really long now, reaching all the way down to my backside. When was my last trim? Shrugging, I looked at G and snickered. His clothing had been converted to a black button down, collar open, and too tight jeans that was meant to look sexy, but came off as ridiculous on his literally boney legs.

He glared at me for a moment before he grinned wolfishly. "*Nice tits, Toots."

I sighed. I'd been trying not to notice that 'the girls' were suddenly bigger. "Laugh it up, Sans."

"*I plan on it."

Looking around, we stood in a standard anime style classroom with wood paneling half way up the walls, the rest painted white. Twenty five individual desks, arranged five by five faced the black board at the front of the room and a large, dark wood, teacher's desk. The student desks were empty and the teacher's desk only had a blotter with a blank desk calendar resting in it. The fading light of evening filtered through the windows and across the room. Frisk and Mia were curled together, sitting up in the corner furthest from the door, unconscious.

G and I quickly knelt in front of them. Gently shaking Frisk's shoulder, his eyes fluttered.

"Don't wake me up yet, Mia," he slurred. "I'll be too tired when night comes if I'm awake now."

"Hey, kiddo."

Frisk's eyes popped open and he hugged me swiftly. "Frisk! Frisk! Oh man! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

Mia, having fallen against the wall, sat up, shaking away the sleep from her eyes. She saw G and quickly hugged him. "I've never been so happy to see a skeleton in my life!" She blinked at me. "Oh my God." She grabbed Frisk's sleeve and shook him. "She's you! Literally you! How is that possible?!"

Frisk sighed. "When I told you that their were other versions of me, I wasn't just making it up. She's a Frisk from another timeline."

She looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. "I'm Frisk Emily Gaster. I work for a foundation that fixes problems like the one you're having right now." I held out my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Mia smiled and shook my hand. "Mia Loring."

"*You kids all right?" G asked.

"Yeah. Just a little messed up by the whole sleeping during the day thing," Frisk answered. He frowned and reached out, touching my face, fingers tracing over the visible blue lines of C's implants along the edge of one cheek. I forced myself to relax. I didn't like it when someone touched the implants, but I was willing to give other Frisks a pass. "What's this? Did you always have these lines? They look like their glowing."

C burst to life on my shoulder, a red hologram of a teen boy in a striped shirt and long pants. "Please don't touch my circuitry."

"Oh! Sorry, C. I'd just never seen it before. Is it because of the game?"

I shook my head. "C and I were cracked really hard about a year ago and the new implants are still pretty visible is all."

Mia observed C, closely looking him over, before turning to Frisk "Your Chara doesn't do this, right?"

He shook his head. "C is different from my Chara."

"How?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"C isn't a total jerk."

"Hey!" C yelled.

I shook my head. "Oh no. He is a total jerk."

C glared at me. "I am so keeping you up tonight!"

"Good. Apparently, I'll need it."

He stuck his tongue out at me before disappearing back into my head.

I smiled and turned back to the kids. "How long have you been here?"

"About four days."

I looked to G. "That means two days for every hour on the outside."

Mia nearly jumped. "That corresponds with the game play! Thirty minutes of play for each day."

"How many days left in the game?" G asked.

"One," Mia answered, dejectedly. "We have no idea what to do. We were just going to follow a walkthrough for the game while we played, so we have no idea what to do and have just been avoiding all the vampires. Which is really hard when they zero in on bare skin."

I frowned. "Have you tried covering your shoulders?"

She huffed. "Yeah. And I am guaranteed to unavoidably lose the clothing at some point."

G tapped his charge's head. "Give us a run down of what you do know."

Frisk nodded. "The game takes place in a witchcraft and wizardy school. Kind of like a Hogwarts for magical anime girls with vampire teachers, classmates, and assorted other people on the campus. Following the Lamongello story line, you need to make friends with all the vampires in the school at the same time avoiding romantic ties with them. You have five days of game time to befriend five vampires. If you manage it, you will be taken to the big guy himself."

"And there's were we're stuck. We haven't been able to do anything because we don't have a walkthrough. We have explored the whole place though, so we do know where everything is and how to get there," Mia added.

C burst to life on my shoulder. "No worries. I have Black's walkthrough. It looks like the plan was to have lesser vampires get to you so only the smartest and strongest can get to Lamongello."

Mia cocked her head to the side, confused. "Why?"

"Because the game is actually a recruitment tool for vampire world domination in another dimension. The people who make it to the big guy get primo positions in the vampire army."

Mia snorted, barely able to contain her laughter. "What? Are you kidding?! What a terrible way to build an army! Even among the most emo of vampire VN fans, this game isn't even worth the CD it's burned on!"

I stifled a laugh. "What do we need to do, C?"

"Hand out your hand please."

I held out my hand flat and C projected a hologram of a creepy looking doctor with long, grayish brown hair tied back in a very artsy pony tail. He had large, pink eyes behind glasses, and wore a lab coat over a pale pink dress shirt and gray tie. His expression was serene in his disdain for everything he saw.

"Is it just me or does this guy make you think of Shuu Iwamine?" I asked.

Frisk laughed. "You've played Hatoful Boyfriend?"

I sighed. "We don't call him 'Black' because of the smokey appearance. It's just short for 'Blackmail.' So yeah. Red's sister and I played it. It's on his channel."

Mia rolled her eyes. "The Shuu route was worse then _Seven_!"

"It wasn't worse then _Seven_! It was _Seven!_ " Frisk moaned.

"This is Everett Tremere. You don't have to make friends with him," C interrupted. "You just have to get him intrigued enough that he considers you worth his attention. We'll get him out of the way first, since he's pretty easy to convince when you know what to do."

I nodded and looked to the window, the sky was already dark and the lights in the school began to glow, flickering like candles to give the whole place a romantic feel. Well, romantic if being in a shady vampire school somewhere was your idea of romantic. I preferred star gazing and cuddling in the Chevelle while a at the drive in. The shadows of students began to move in the hallway. Frisk and Mia stood,smoothing out their clothing.

Frisk grabbed my hand. "Come on. The infirmary is this way."

Mia frowned and G elbowed her. "*Hey, kiddo. Don't get sour. All Frisks are like that with each other."

I smiled and put her hand firmly in Frisk's.

He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry! It's just... kind of like hanging out with a big sister I don't get to see all that often." He pulled her along and we followed them.

G caught his reflection in the glass windows of the hallway and groaned. He looked down at me as he pulled on the collar. "*Can you imagine anyone other than D pulling this off?"

"Nope." I patted his arm. "Here, let me help you with that. Can you imagine D in his dragon form wearing this?" That got me a laugh. I smiled. "Come on. We need to make friends with an evil doctor. Shouldn't be too hard for us, right?"

He snorted. "*Your Dr. Gaster isn't anywhere near that kind of bad."

"Nope. But Bones has been possessed by quite a few bad ones. You learn to roll with it."

We followed the kids to a small, white office. Locked, glass cabinets filled with medicines surrounded a singular desk. Behind the desk was a glass door looking in on a few beds with curtains. The beds were empty and neatly made with the exception of the last one, which was a mess of torn sheets, but no blood. The vampire sat at the desk.

"Okay," C began. "Frisk and Mia, pretend to be sick. Frisk, pull your hair back so he can see the implant circuits. G, roll up your sleeves to show off your boney arms. And then get in his face about Frisk and Mia needing antacids after eating awful cafeteria food. If he gets curious about where you come from, say you're the new teachers from Crystal River Institute." He disappeared from my shoulder.

I pulled my hair away from my face with a hair tie, letting the rest of it cover the back of my neck. Mia leaned against me, pretending to be sick as G rolled up his sleeves. Frisk stood next to him holding his stomach like he was in pain. G nodded to me before we entered the office. Dr. Everett Tremere didn't look up from his desk.

G slammed a boney fist on the table. "*Hey Doc! We need some help here! These kids need antacids and fast!"

Everett snarled, "Just what is all this fuss about?" He looked up at G and his eyes went wide, not in terror, but in fascination. Those pink eyes flicked toward me for a moment before looking back to G. He blinked and looked at me again, eyes zeroing in on my cheeks and the blue lines. The beginnings of a smile tugged his lips, looking for all the world like a kid in a candy shop.

"Antacids! Of course! Yes. The food in the cafeteria is less then optimal for our students who need to eat it. Thank you for bringing them in." He stood and turned with a flourish of his coat. Opening the cabinet with a key on a long string around his neck, he pulled out a bottle of generic, calcium antacid tablets. He shook out two for each of the kids. "So where did you two come from? I don't remember you at the last faculty meeting."

"We're the new teachers from the Crystal River Institute," I said. I needed an alias _._

C's chuckle wrapped around my inner ear. "Aster Ravnos and Luke Keeling."

I fought the eye roll. "I'm Aster Ravnos and this is Luke Keeling."

He nodded quickly. "Oh yes! Many strange creatures from there. Would you be one of the new cyber witches? I have been most interested in meeting one, perhaps we could meet later this fine evening to... discuss your very interesting area of expertise?"

Frisk and Mia both gave me thumbs up. "Of course. If you'll excuse us, we need to see the students back to class."

Those pink eyes practically glowed. "Of course. Of course." He waved us out of the office.

We headed into the hall and the kids high fived.

"That was great!" Frisk exclaimed. "Hey, C? How did you know he would go for the implants?"

C burst to life on my shoulder with a shrug. "I didn't. I just knew he'd go for Agent Helvetica or Frisk in interest. It was only a matter of choice for him. So let's take care of the competitive jock stereotype. Hold out your hand again."

The hologram image of an attractive young man with short, blonde hair and green eyes appeared. He wore a white dress shirt over tan slacks with a red tie. The tie was loose at his neck, the button of his collar undone. He looked earnest rather than predatory.

C jumped from my shoulder to my hand to lean on the vampire's hologram. "This is Robert Gangrel. This guy will instantly be your friend if you can beat him in competition."

G smirked. "*Defeat equals friendship, huh?"

"Exactly. And I do mean friendship. He'll turn on the big bad in a heartbeat for his friends."

"So what do we challenge him with?" I asked.

"Martial arts."

Mia looked at G. "Please tell me you can handle that."

He chuckled. "*I'm good, sweetheart, but," he gestured to me, "Frisk is our go to for this one."

I nodded. "G wouldn't stand a chance against me."

He crossed his arms over his rib cage. "Is that so?"

I smiled big and bright. "Of course."

"I wasn't cloned with enough middle fingers to let you know how I feel about that."

We both broke down laughing. Frisk rolled his eyes and motioned us to follow him. We headed down the hallway to a set of large, ornate double doors. Pushing them open, we found a gleaming, state of the art, gym facility. Stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and lifting equipment being used by overly attractive anime students in red and white gym uniforms. The vampire we were looking for was spotting for a young woman doing squats.

C was sitting at the picnic table outside the cabin in my head, relaxing with a sheaf of papers in his hands. "Wait until they're finished before approaching, he'll notice you, and remark that you're new. Ask him for a tour of the facility."

I nodded. As soon as the woman finished, she thanked him, a little starry eyed with his encouraging smile. She hurried off, giggling a little as I walked over, G and the kids hanging back. He noticed me and smiled earnestly.

"You're new here, aren't you? I'm Robert Gangrel. I run the gym. Are you one of the visiting faculty members from Crystal River?"

"Aster Ravnos." We shook hands and his grip wasn't aggressive, but friendly. Good. "Would you mind giving me a tour?"

"I'd be delighted." He gestured to the room we stood in. "This very obviously the stationary equipment room. If you'll follow me, I'll show you the gym and the padded room we use for martial arts practice."

C snorted at something he read in the walkthrough. "Pretend he's Cross."

"Is there anyone here who's any good at martial arts?"

Robert crossed his arms over his chest, amused. "Are you challenging me in my own dojo?"

"Well, Spongebob, you are using a padded room..." I trailed off, smiling.

He took my bait. "All right then. Let's see if Crystal River faculty can put their money where their mouths are." He led me to the room in question, G and the kids following behind. The 'padded' room had a standard wood floor with navy blue mats covering every wall but the one. That wall was set with a window. G and the kids stood at it to watch. I shook myself out a little loosen up as Robert swung his arms to loosen his shoulders.

I fell into stance and Robert smiled sadly, like this was a forgone conclusion and he wasn't comfortable fighting someone he felt inferior. He moved fast, throwing the first punch, a right at my jaw. I dodged slightly, letting his fist go past me. His eyes widened a bit and his other fist came around. I ducked and came up with a left hook to his chin followed by a right straight to his cheek. Robert stumbled backwards, and brought up an arm to block my next hit. He moved to hit me in the face and pulled the punch, striking at my sternum instead. The hit was strong enough to make me step back, but not enough to make me retreat.

I threw another punch at his face and he wasn't prepared for it. I connected with his face and he brought his arm up to bash me with his elbow. I blocked it with my other arm and he used it to push me back. I threw a punch, telegraphing it way in advance and he ducked it. I hooked my arm in his, rolling over his back, and used the momentum to throw him across the floor. He rolled to his feet, eyes just a little wide as I stalked up to him, rolling my shoulders to loosen them up.

Robert stood just in time to take my kick to his stomach and a knee to his side. He hit me with a quick strike to the head and I stumbled back, blinking against his first real hit. He came at me while I was still recovering, hitting me hard enough to knock me down. I rolled across the floor and found my feet. Well. I suppose he's feeling a little threatened now. I need to finish this before he brings out the vampire strength.

"I'm on it, Frisk."

I felt C pull something in my head and the world felt warmer. My head cleared, focus sharpening. Robert was on me super fast, but that was fine by me. It meant I didn't have to waste energy going to him. He threw a punch and I grabbed his arm, letting his momentum carry him as I spun him into the wall. He bounced off the padding and grabbed my hair. Oh. No. _No one grabs my hair._ I grabbed his wrist with both hands and turned, locking his elbow and pulling his arm back viciously. C slammed something shut in my head, preventing me from breaking his arm.

Robert yelped in pain, "I yield! I yield!"

I dropped his arm and ran a hand through my hair, gently yanking out the tangles.

Robert rubbed his arm and shoulder before holding out his hand. "I wasn't aware people from Crystal River were so well trained!"

C's voice wrapped around my inner ear. "Compliment him."

I shook his hand, giving him a smile. "It's been a while since I've had such a good sparing match."

He shook his head, smiling. "You were holding out on me. Maybe we could have another go some time?"

"I'd love too."

C's smiled was wide in my head. "We got him! Let's move on."

I checked my phone for the time and faked surprise. "I have to head off. I'll see you later!"

He gave me a wave and a smile as I headed for the doors. Frisk and Mia both grabbed my hands as I went into the hall.

"That was amazing!" Mia exclaimed. "How did you pull that off?"

"Years and years and years of training."

Mia turned to her boyfriend. "Will you be like that when you grow up?"

Frisk snorted. "No. I don't want to have to go through what Frisk had to just to become that bad ass." He smiled. "You'll just have to get used to me being cool in a different way."

Mia took his hand and snuggled up to his shoulder.

"What's next, C?"

C's hologram appeared on my shoulder and I held out my hand for the projection. "Next is the class president, Auberon Ventrue. He's a stuck up jerk with a penchant for chess. You don't even have to beat him. If you can give him a good run, he'll consider you worthy of his friendship." The hologram of a blonde haired, blue eyed, aristocrat in a sharp white suit and red tie appeared in my hand.

"I'm out," I said. "Chess is not my strong point."

G shook his skull and Frisk frowned.

Mia smiled. "I've got this one!"

"Your dad trying to turn you into a chess champ?" G asked.

Mia's smile fell. "No. It was Mom's dream." She looked sad. "Dad didn't like how she kept pushing me. It's what started... everything..." She trailed off and Frisk put his arm around her.

"Hey. It's okay, Mia."

She gave him a sad smile and hugged him tightly.

"Come on. Let's show this guy what you can do."

"We'll find him in the cafeteria about now," C informed us.

Mia nodded and led the way to a massive room of dark brown brick and deep red carpeting with glittering, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Two large fireplaces that were open on all four sides dominated a room filled with comfortable seating and lovely tables. Students with trays of food shuffled in and out of several sets of doors at the back of the room. The vampire we were hunting sat at a table with a chess set, looking bored out of his mind while he played against a student who seemed determined to win despite how poorly he was doing.

C projected onto Mia's shoulder. "He's going to be a rude little shit and insult you right out. Just tell him that if he's that quick to insult he must not be a good enough to win against a real chess player. Then sit down, put the pieces in order, and make the first move. He'll start playing from there."

"Do I play to win or to stalemate?"

"Up to you. If you go for a stalemate, act surprised that he was that good. He'll be smug and ask you to play again sometime. If you go for a win, don't rub it in, just stand and leave. He'll be shocked and ask you to play again sometime." C disappeared, returning to the picnic table.

Mia nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before giving us a smile. She crossed her arms over her chest and walked by the game with a disdainful look. When Auberon won, she snorted like he didn't deserve the win. As the boy he'd played against left.

"Oh please. Like a girl has any chance of winning against me."

"This from an obvious patzer? Please." Mia sat down, quickly rearranged the board, made the first move, and hit the timer.

Auberon fumed, making his move quickly and with little thought.

Mia yawned, making a move that looked random to me, but Frisk smiled.

It continued like this with Auberon looking increasingly panicked as Mia made move after move.

Suddenly he, smiled. "Check!"

Mia moved her knight into a position that simultaneously defended her king while trapping his. "Checkmate."

Auberon's stared at the board, utterly speechless. Mia stood and his pale hand shot out, quick as a snake, to snatch her wrist.

"I want another match."

She nodded, looking him in the eyes. "Tomorrow night."

The hint of a smile graced his lips. "I look forward to it."

Mia rejoined us, high fiving Frisk.

C popped up on my shoulder. "Great job, Mia! We'll tackle the sensitive, artist type, Amadeo Toreador."

I held out my hand and a hologram of a dark haired boy with downcast, blue eyes in one of the school's uniforms.

"This guy shuts himself in the school's art studio. You have to get him out of the studio and to the... oh. That's not going to work. The concert you're supposed to convince him to go to was two days ago." C huffed. "Great. Time to improvise. Who wants to make friends with the sensitive artist who might very likely be a poser?"

Frisk swatted at C, his hand going through the hologram. "Be nice! Do we have to make friends or just get him to leave the room?"

C looked over the papers. "Uh, according to this, you just need to get him to leave the studio."

"Got it."

We followed Frisk to the school's art studio.

I tapped Mia's shoulder. "Is this game supposed to be this boring? Or lack any real motivation to do anything?"

"Oh yeah. This one's a real stinker. It's like a vampire read Twilight after playing a couple really awful VN's and decided to sit down and code. It looks pretty, but has no other real substance. Not even basic fan service. No half naked guys or even the hint of danger from the main characters trying to fang you."

"What about half naked girls?" Frisk asked.

Mia shot him a glare.

"Hey! No fair! Double standard! Double standard!"

G put his hand on his charge's shoulder. "*Don't go there, kiddo. Just be happy they think we look good half naked."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You look like a skeleton when you're half naked."

"*So does your husband."

"Yeah. And he looks like a skeleton when completely naked."

"So how do you two...? You know..." Mia trailed off.

I pointed at her. "You are sixteen years old."

Mia crossed her arms over her chest.

And the realization that I would have to have this exact conversation at some point in the next five years disheartened me. I sighed. "On my timeline, monsters and humans have children by combining their souls."

"Oh. That's way less exciting."

G chuckled. "*Nice dodge, Toots."

We came up to a classroom with multiple, wooden easels set up around your standard bowl of fruit on a plain wooden table. A few of the easels had canvases on them, with students at work. Our target was furthest from the door.

Frisk inhaled as deeply as possible. "FREE KITTENS IN THE PARKING LOT! AND THEY'VE JUST DISCOVERED A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN VAN GOGH!"

There was a stampede as all the students, including our target, ran out of the studio and down the hall.

I nodded appreciatively. "Nice."

Frisk smiled. "You just have to know your audience."

C appeared on my shoulder. "Great job! One guy left. You have to earn his respect. We get that and then Lamongello will appear in the school gardens." I held out my hand for the hologram. A punk with edgy, spiked brown hair, in a white shirt and blue jeans appeared to be working on a muscle car. His leather jacket had way too many zippers in it. "This is Moses Brujah. Listed as the bad ass of the bunch. The walkthrough says we have to talk to him when he's at his most vulnerable yesterday after a fight with his gang mates, but that's out. He's out, of course, in the parking lot."

G snorted. "*I've got this."

We followed the trail of the art students to the parking lot and found them looking everywhere for kittens and undiscovered Van Goghs. Moses was working on the car's engine, not really paying attention to the sudden mass of students all around.

G walked over and kicked a tire. "*You call this a car? It looks like a pile of junk!"

Moses looked up with a sneer that fell at the sight of the skeleton monster. He smiled dangerously. "What language are you speaking? Cause it sounds like crazy. This is a Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack."

"*And just how is that Dodge trash better then a Chevy Camaro 2SS? The Camaro accelerates and breaks faster."

"The Dodge is big. It's loud. And it's aggressive."

"*And a handful to fucking drive. The Camaro gives you all the same power with a nice, civil attitude."

Moses, shorter then G by a good eight inches, still managed to get in his face. "I don't want a civil attitude. I want my girl bucking like a bronco."

"*Dude. We're talking about your car, not your girlfriend. And let's be honest, if you're defending a car you can't possibly control, I doubt you could keep your girlfriend from wrecking your shit either."

Mia clapped both hands over her mouth and buried her face against Frisk's chest shoulders heaving.

"And I suppose a bag of bones like you is man enough to handle a car with real power?"

"*Stop acting like you're a real man. You'll never be half the man your mother was."

C fell off the bench of picnic table in my head and and I covered my eyes, shaking hard against the urge to laugh.

Moses squared up, rolling his shoulders like he was ready to throw down, and then stuck out his hand. "I'm a connoisseur of jerks who pick fights in parking lots and you're the biggest I've ever seen!"

G shook his hand. "*You should see me at a funeral."

The vampire threw his spiky haired head back and laughed. "You got a minute to help me here? A couple wires from the electrical system burned out and I could use an extra set of eyes to let me know if the connections are good."

"*Sure."

While G played shop, C reappeared on my shoulder. "We should be good for Lamongello to appear in the school gardens. Black's walkthrough notes that if a group of people come to him, he'll be immediately suspicious. He'll start by putting the moves on the oldest female in the group and if that doesn't work, taking hostages of the weakest members to force the others into vampire servitude. Which will be pretty hard in Agent Helvetica's case. When the fight begins, he'll move super fast and be super strong, but he isn't a natural fighter. The walkthrough says that the moment we stake him we'll be warped out of the game."

I nodded. "We'll need stakes then."

"The walkthrough says there's a vampire hunting kit in the vice principal's office."

My jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Yeah. It looks like who ever coded the game coded a 'bad ending' where the vampires die."

I looked at C's hologram. "Seriously?" I blinked rapidly. "Why would you do that?"

"They're idiots, Frisk. Steam told me once that even the really intelligent ones make serious mistakes that completely undermine their operations. Ask him about the time they raised the wrong mummy to help them take over the Dreemurr Empire the next time we visit."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Taking a glance at the kids, they'd both found a seat on a bench, sleepily cuddling. I waved to G. "We need to get a move on."

He glanced and the kids and nodded. He and Moses shook hands once again before rousing the kids. "*Come on. We're almost done. To the gardens?"

"After we make a stop for the vampire hunting kit."

G's skull and shoulders drooped. "*We're dealing with complete idiots, aren't we?"

"Oh yeah. Ready to fight the big bad?"

One boney hand punched the other. "*Oh, I am so ready to beat the shit out of someone."

I looked to Frisk. "Have you been training with G?"

He nodded.

"Good. It's going to be your job to keep Mia safe while G and I beat up the pretty vampire. The last thing I need is hostages. Is there a second floor or roof access over the garden so I can get a look at the area before we head in?"

Mia shook her head. "The gardens are a bit away from the school building itself and the trees are densely grown."

I frowned. "Well then. Going in blind it is. Let's get the vampire hunting kit. Lead the way to the vice principal's office, please."

Frisk took Mia's hand and the two walked ahead of G and I, leading us through the school. Frisk went around the corner toward the office and then turned to shove Mia toward us. G caught her as I instinctively reached for a gun that wasn't there. I came around the corner and was face to fangs with Dr. Everett Tremere. Auberon held Frisk in a tight grip, and Frisk was doing his best impression of a helpless student.

"I believe you owe me a date, Miss Ravnos." He glanced at Auberon. "Though it will have to wait. Lamongello will see you now."

Were G and Mia behind me? Or had they escaped?

C smiled from the picnic table. "They're fine. I'll guide them while keeping them out of the reach of any more vampires." I nodded and C disappeared from my head while Frisk and I followed the vampires to the school gardens.

We were led out of the main building and marched passed the soccer field toward a grouping of poplar trees. Stepping through them led us into a lush green garden lit with tiny, twinkling LEDs strung through the trees and bushes. We crossed a bridge over a lovely pond filled with pink and yellow waterlilies and koi swimming in the cool dark. The trees pulled back revealing a lovely pergola covered in flowering vines rustling gently in a soft breeze. A wooden bench with fluffy pillows rested underneath the pergola. I gave the scene full marks. It was legitimately romantic.

The long haired, blond vampire I recognized from the game box cover sat on the bench, two lovely women fawning over him from the ground. Lamongello stood smoothly to address us. "There are supposed to be four of you. Where are the other two?"

He had an unusual voice, one I'm sure was meant to send shivers down the spine, but only one man had ever gotten that reaction out of me. I shrugged. He stepped closer, standing fully in the moonlight. And he sparkled.

I lost it, doubling over with laughter. "Oh my God! Are you a vampire or a disco ball?!"

Lamongello's eyes went wide. "You're supposed to instantly fall in love with me!"

I shook my head, still chuckling. "No."

He glared for a moment, arms crossed over his chest, before smiling. He advanced on me, trapping me between himself and the doctor, who stood behind me. "Well, I'm sure you find me..." He ran a finger down one arm. "Sexually attractive."

My laughter died. "No."

He froze at my dead pan delivery and blinked rapidly, unable to process.

I sighed. "Look, I have to know someone really well before they appear attractive to me. In my entire life, I've only felt instant sexual attraction to someone once and that someone is also my husband. And I'd like to add that that moment had happened after we'd already been married."

Lamongello stared at me. Completely at a loss as to what to say or do. That was my cue. I turned slightly, grabbing the doctor's hand and and spun him so that he tripped into Lamongello, the two falling as they hit the ground I turned and Auberon had Frisk's arm locked, fangs to my double's neck.

"If you bite him, you won't get your chess rematch. Ever." I couldn't see where Mia was, but the threat was enough.

Auberon looked around, attempting to zero in on Mia's location. "Come to me, and be my white queen."

Mia didn't get a chance to respond. Frisk's eyes turned red. He dropped to a crouch just long enough to give him momentum as he came up, slamming his shoulder into the vampire's chin, cracking his jaw in one smooth go. Before Auberon could recover, Frisk dove for cover in the bushes to the right, disappearing from sight.

A hand landed on my shoulder, too heavy to be Frisk or Mia's, too fleshy to be G. I grabbed the wrist and twisted it as I pulled, flooring Dr. Tremere. I slammed my heel down in the middle of his chest and was rewarded with a resounding crack as several of his ribs gave. He groaned in pain and rolled to the side as I ducked Lamongello grabbing for me. I dove toward him and under his reach, rolling to come to my feet behind him.

He paused for a moment, bringing up both fists, but the stance was sloppy. He moved like someone who knew how to fight a long time ago and has since grown lazy, depending on his strength and charisma to carry him. He threw several fast punches and I pushed each aside. He threw one more and I did my best to make it look like he hit me. He fell for it and backed off the attack to gloat. I spun, bringing my foot hard into his knee and feeling it give under the force of impact.

Lamongello howled and stumbled backward, holding his leg. Twisting it, he realigned the knee and it healed as he stood. Well. This was going to be a never ending fight if I didn't find a stake soon.

On cue, C returned to my head. "G has the vampire kit."

"And the kids?"

"Moses and Robert are actually fending off several unnamed vampires to keep them safe. You and G really made an impression on them."

I smiled. "How long does G need?"

"About 60."

I punched my hands together, smiling. "I can handle that." I whistled at Lamongello. "I love what you've done with your hair. How do you get it to come out of your nostrils like that?"

He growled and ran for me in a bull rush. I waited to the last possible second and jumped aside, letting him plow into on the pergola's pillars. It cracked, but held, stunning him. The two women who'd previously been languishing, hissed at me. One found her feet and came at me. Swiping at me in a well trained manner with sharp claws, she caught my arm, leaving bloody streaks before landing a kick to my stomach.

Okay. So she knew what she was doing.

She came at me again and I moved to defense, moving her strikes away from me. Her hand twisted around, grasping my wrist and attempting to throw me. I turned with the throw, holding onto her so that I landed on my feet. Catching her hair, I slammed her face into my knee. She screeched and fell backwards clutching her face. I looked to the second woman who slid back attempting to shield herself with her arms as she gazed up in terror, not wanting to face me.

No. That wasn't right. She was afraid of something behind me.

I hit the ground just in time to avoid the punch Lamongello had aimed for the back of my head. I twisted my legs in his and rolled, knocking him to the ground. I quickly jumped on his chest, bringing both fists down on his face, smashing his nose. I heard a sharp whistle.

"Stake incoming on the right!"

I picked the piece of wood out of the air and shoved it into Lamongello's chest.

The world flashed a brilliant white and I covered my eyes with my arm. When the light died away, the four of us stood in Frisk's bedroom. I smiled at G as Frisk and Mia hugged. I shook myself out, happy to be back in my uniform.

"Thanks, G."

He nodded.

"Sorry you missed the fun."

He snorted. "*Oh no. I still got to beat the shit out of a few vampires getting to the kit. I'm good." He nodded toward the door. "*Come on, kids. Your mom and your dad are waiting." The kids hurried down stairs, rushing into welcoming arms while G introduced me to Oliver Loring. After explaining what had happened, G offered me his arm and took me home. He landed us outside the equipment room.

"Thanks for the help, Toots."

"Any time."

He gave me a salute and disappeared into the void. I unlocked the equipment room door and saw my husband's pack resting on the shelf. I smiled and quickly put away my equipment, unloading my gun and stowing it on the rack. I turned to leave and found Bones waiting in the door way. I rushed over and hugged him.

"You all right? Nothing bad happened?"

"I'm good, Sunflower." He smiled. "No worries. Ready for some dinner?"

I nodded. "Chara and Frisk still around?"

"Them and another Frisk." He frowned for a moment. "That one isn't in good shape and not because we found them on Straight Man Sans' timeline. Asriel wants to talk to you about it."

I nodded and pressed my face against his sternum for a moment. And then it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Oh my God. His name was Lemon Jello."


	4. Ep4 Tears

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk and Chara belong to ilanitalia! Pat belongs to Getful! Check out Getful's Core Issues stories on ffnet!

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Episode 4 - Tears  
(Bones is our narrator!)

His Royal Majesty, King Chara Dreemurr waited for us at the picnic table outside the Dreemurr house with Mage Frisk. Despite centuries of amassed wealth and power, Chara and Frisk had retained the Dreemurr family home Underground. They'd repainted it though and the house was now a soothing, sky blue with white shutters. Their brood of four children played on one of those hardcore, home swing sets with two towers, multiple slides, and a bridge in the yard with several monster children. A white dog lay rolled around in the grass, panting as two of the children rubbed it's belly. G, his skull just as round and sweet faced as the last time I'd seen it, and his overly tall brother, Papyrus, kept a keen watch on the kids.

Chara wore his usual red lined black leather duster over a white shirt, black jeans, and sturdy boots. He spent more time looking like a video game character than a king. He stood behind his wife, who actually looked like royalty in a knee length blue dress embroidered with golden lines on the seams, braiding down her long, white hair. She never seemed to be dressed appropriately for their various adventures, but it also never seemed to get in her way either. Twisting Mage Frisk's hair into a bun, Chara pinned it in place with a blue flower hair pin. She smiled up at him, taking his hands in hers to kiss his fingers. She caught sight of Frisk and I, and waved.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." She stood to take my wife's hands in hers.

Frisk pulled her into a hug. "It's no trouble. You said the anomaly was on another timeline?"

Chara nodded. "We were doing a favor for a friend and ran smack into an anomaly."

"What favor?"

He shrugged. "Hunting an artifact that went missing, and not because some annoying dog stole it."

Frisk snorted.

Mage Frisk stepped back, holding onto my wife's hands again. "They've met the requirements to open the barrier and it won't open, so we called the experts."

"What's this world's story?" I asked.

"Oh you're going to love this! It's so sci-fi!" Frisk said, grinning wildly. "After monsters were sealed away, science became the new paradigm, swiftly overtaking the world, and sending them full steam into a highly advanced, futuristic society. Everything crashed around them when the rare earth materials necessary to run all of their tech completely dried up. The death blow came when the massive space station that orbited the planet crashed, causing a global catastrophe. And that's when the few remaining humans remember that monsters exist and parachute into the cavern to beg for their help in rebuilding."

My Frisk's eyes gleamed. "That's awesome! So they have all the people necessary to open the barrier and it's just not going?"

She nodded. "I looked over the barrier and the problem isn't magical in nature. It's something else, so we called you."

"Who's our point of contact?"

"Sans and Undyne. Their Frisk is there, but he's busy helping Asriel make sense of human history since the barrier went up."

"Ready to head out then?" I asked.

Chara whistled and the kids all ran for him and Frisk. He crouched down to be on eye level with the youngest ones. "You rugrats be good for Sans and Papyrus, got it?"

A chorus of 'yes, dad!' and 'yes, sir!' went up.

"Good. Miss Phyllis and Miss Harper will be around with lunch in about an hour. Today's menu is mac and cheese stuffed with veggies and I better come home to being told you all ate the veggies. We'll be back soon."

A chorus of 'bye, daddy!,' love you, mommy!,' and 'bye, sir and ma'am!' followed the children through a round of hugs and then back to the mini playground.

"A lot of monsters there," I commented. "Still having succession problems?"

Chara sighed and rubbed his forehead right between the eyes. "Frisk and I have been ruling long enough that a significant number of the monsters around today have never known rule under a monster. The demands that the heir I name be a monster and not one of our children grows stronger every day. This is besides the fact that I might actually be immortal and the point might be moot." He looked over at the kids. "Still, several of them would make mom and dad proud."

Chara pulled out his phone, showing me the equations, and I held out an arm. A few moments later, we were outside the Dreemurr family home in another timeline. Prince Asriel, looking have just reached adulthood, sat with a group of seven humans, one of whom was very obviously Frisk with his short brown hair and striped shirt, talking together about life on the surface. A Sans in a green hoodie leaned against the wall next to an iridescent scaled Undyne, who watched the humans like a hawk. Her hair appeared to be long opalescent tendrils. Sans looked over and gave us the patented smile. Pushing off the cave wall, he walked over in his pink slippers with his hand held out. I held out my right hand to shake and blinked, offering my left instead. My Sunflower gave me a look and I shrugged.

Sans took my hand. "*frisk church and the big bone himself! wow! how did we rate that?" His smile fell. "*or is our problem that bad?"

I shrugged. "Chara asked us to have a look so we aren't sure what you've got."

I looked over the humans. They'd noticed us new comers and a couple of them looked nervous. This world's Frisk looked deeply interested in the arrival of two more Frisks. He didn't move from where he sat next to Asriel at the picnic table though. I chuckled. Frisks and their fascination with each other was never ending. Holding up my right hand, I looked through hole, turning just enough to use the void as a lens. And found our problem. One of the nervous looking humans wasn't from this timeline. She was a young woman who appeared to be in her early twenties with long black hair, working to keep her eyes hidden. And by the furtiveness of her expression, I was willing to bet she knew she was on the wrong timeline.

I waved everyone in close to whisper. "One of your seven humans isn't from this timeline. That's why you can't open the barrier."

Sans looked between Frisk and I. "*you don't look too surprised by that."

Frisk frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "We've seen this exact anomaly in a bunch of other places."

"And this one looks like she knows she's not supposed to be here," I added.

"*which one?"

"The twenty something female in the white blouse, blue jeans, and black jacket with long, black hair."

Chara and his wife glanced at her and then exchanged an interesting look. Frisk caught it too. They knew her. But from where?

"*then why join a group going undergound?"

"Maybe she thinks a monster down here can help her and is just waiting for an opportunity to ask," Chara whispered. That clinched it. They did know her.

Sans thought about that for a moment and nodded. "*so what's the plan?"

"We need to remove her from the group, find out how she ended up here, and then get her back on her timeline," Frisk answered.

"*great. how do we remove her?"

We all looked at the group. The girl in question was gone.

I sighed. "I could almost feel that one coming."

There was an audible snort from my collar. Apparently, C agreed.

Sans waved. "*undyne? where did the female human go?"

Undyne gestured to the house. "The bathroom. Dogaressa went with her." She pushed off the wall and came over to us. "What's the word?"

"She's the reason the barrier won't open. She's not from this timeline. The barrier likely isn't even reading her soul as being present. She isn't a likely threat though," Mage Frisk said. She grabbed my girl's hand. "Let's go catch her on the way out of the bathroom."

As they headed for the door, it opened. A rather put out Dogaressa marched the woman toward Undyne. For her part, the woman kept her head down, eyes hidden under long bangs. "As soon as the human entered the bathroom, she attempted to use this." She handed Sans a Midnight Collapse badge.

Chara snorted and reached out, lifting the woman's face by her chin to reveal blood red eyes. "Hello, Chara."

The girl blanched and backed up, only to hit Dogaressa, who's paw landed on her shoulder. She looked at the dog guard for a moment before staring at Chara. "How?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Chara smirked. "I know myself when I see me."

Sans held out the badge to me. "*anyone in there?"

I tapped it with one phalanges and shook my head. "It's just the void sliver. The Frisk used to create it was released. Where'd you pick this up?"

For a moment, she looked as if she would panic before taking a deep breath. Training of some sort kicked in. Frisk noticed and reached for the girl only to have her slide away from us, and make a run for it out of the yard. I short cut ahead of her, blocking her path. She dove forward, ducking my reach, and rolling smoothly across the grass. My eye flared to life and I turned her blue, lifting her in the air. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small, baby blue, plastic dinosaur.

She squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the toy tightly. A single, black tear dripped from one eye and my magic was cut. She landed on her feet and made a dash for it. But Undyne had reached us and she smacked herself off of the Captain of the Royal Guard's armor. Undyne lifted the teen with one hand.

Frisk, Chara, and Mage Frisk ran to us, followed by Prince Asriel and the other humans.

"Sans! What's going on?" Asriel called.

Sans motioned to the teen. "*we found out why the barrier won't open. this human doesn't belong here. she can't help us open the barrier."

"So now what?" one of the humans asked.

"You can get a message through the barrier that you need another person using this." Pulling out a piece of paper, Mage Frisk inscribed a seal on it and wrote instructions for it's use underneath. She handed it to Asriel. "This should be exactly what you need, Your Highness."

He took the paper, gazing at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Though you choose not to wear your crown, you are obviously of higher rank then I, My Lady. You have no need to be formal with me." Asriel turned to the woman. "Why this deception?"

The girl looked at her feet. "I was hoping the Alphys here could help me get home."

Asriel gently rested a hand on her head. "I understand the feeling, but you gave us a very false hope." He looked to us. "Can you get her home?"

I nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Then take her." He looked down at the woman, his blue eyes glowing slightly. "Do not return."

She nodded, sniffing.

Frisk put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Come along." She looked to me. "Take us home?"

I nodded and held out my right hand. Frisk looked up at me strangely as she put her hand in mine.

"What's up, Babe?"

She grasped my wrist and shook my hand gently."You're left handed. You've been doing everything right handed since we got here."

I blinked. Well, that was a new one for anomalies. "We'll report it to Fase when we get home." I pulled her close as Chara put his hand on my shoulder, his arm firmly around his wife's waist. I landed us outside Frisk's office. The woman fell to her knees, stomach heaving. Frisk knelt next to her, holding her tightly until her stomach settled.

Cross came down the hall with Undyne, both looking like they'd just come fresh from the showers after being on the training floor, quietly discussing something. The woman caught site of Cross and screamed, scrambling to get away. Frisk's grip slipped and the woman found her feet just long enough to plow full force into Chara, who lifted her by her jacket collar.

"So where did that badge come from?" he asked, with a smile.

She kicked at him, swinging her fists. "Let me go!"

He let go of her and she hung in the air with the power of his magic. "Where did the badge come from?"

"I stole it from my Sans! I swear! Just don't let him hurt me!"

Cross looked at her curiously for a moment. "I remember you." He smiled. "Your little brother's quite a piece of work."

"One of yours?" Chara asked.

Cross nodded. "Her brother, yes."

"So this is one of your messes? Great."

Cross sighed, shaking his head. "Her brother didn't need encouragement of any sort to sign on. He killed Papyrus repeatedly by loading his save over and over until Sans broke and joined him in a full scale murder spree starting with Papyrus." He looked at the woman. "So what was it that made your little brother such a freak?"

Her red eyes went bright and angry for a moment before clouding with sorrow. "I don't know," she sobbed. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Frisk asked Cross.

Cross gave her a look and she caught his drift. He knew exactly what had happened.

Chara put the woman down and she sat on the floor, looking miserable as she drew her knees to her chest. "Well, Frisk and I have a favor to attend too. Let us know how this works out."

I gave them a wave as they disappeared.

"Are you going to kill me?" the woman whispered.

"They haven't killed me yet, so I doubt you're in any danger," Cross answered.

Undyne punched his arm. "That's only because I go easy on you in training, punk."

Frisk offered her a hand. "We're going to find out where your timeline is and get you home. Until then, you can tell us what's going on so we can help you fix it."

The woman stared at the hand for a moment before taking it. Frisk pulled her to her feet.

"I'm Frisk. This is Bones. He's my Sans. That's my Undyne, and you know who Cross is."

"Chara." She frowned. "You don't seem like you're part of Midnight Collapse."

Frisk shook her head. "Midnight Collapse is gone for good. Cross works for the Seraph Foundation now."

"Seraph? I'm back at that fortress?" She spun around fully. "I don't remember any part of it looking like this." She looked down the hallway, golden with the light of the late afternoon. She peered in Frisk's office. "Is this 01's office?"

We all stared at her with our mouths hanging open.

"You were at Site Alpha?!"

She jumped and looked around at us, wide-eyed. "I, uh, guess?"

Undyne looked at Frisk. "How is it that normal Seraph agents can't even get to Site Alpha without heavy clearance and some random punk just happened to have been there?"

Frisk shook her head. She placed her hand on Chara's shoulder. "How about some food to go with our questions?"

Chara nodded, looking suddenly exhausted.

"Bones? Will you take her up to the apartment? I'll meet you there."

"What about me?" Cross asked.

Frisk smiled. "I do enjoy watching you clean up your own messes so, yeah. Ask your Papyrus to make us something yummy, please."

Chara blanched. "Not spaghetti!"

Cross shook his head. "My Papyrus is a chef of the highest caliber. Nothing aged in an oaken cask for us." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Unless it's wine."

"Is that what he's got in the basement of the new building?" I asked.

Cross nodded. "It's the first try, so it won't be great, but it should be passable for table wine."

"Come on, Chara. Follow me." I gestured with my right hand for her to follow me down the hall, and stared at it for a moment. There must have been some residual bleed left over from the last time line. I shook it off and headed down the hall. Chara followed slowly, looking at the photos, plaques, and various awards on the wall opposite the windows. I spied a few crayon drawings taped up here and there. Smiling, I pulled out my phone as we got to the stairs and dialed Fase.

The voice of cheery doom fell from the speaker. "Hello, Father! How can I be of assistance?"

"We have a Chara displaced on my timeline. I need the equations to get her home and a briefing on what's happening on her timeline."

"Certainly! Would the Chara in question be the one with you at this moment?"

"Yes."

"I will call when I have what you need."

"Also, the timeline we found her on switched me from left handed to right and the effect seems to be hanging on. Would you have a look at that too, please?"

"Of course, Father."

"Thank you, Fase."

An unexpected warmth flooded her voice. "You are most welcome."

"Fase?" Chara asked as I hung up the phone. "The A.I. Frisk? You can just call her?"

I smiled. "It's not like her number is unlisted, kiddo." I pushed open the door to the apartment Frisk and I shared. And it still felt strangely satisfying to say that.

Red's little sister, hair red and blue striped, sat at the antique, oak dining table across from Sophia and 'Princess' Frisk, the nine year old we found on Straight Man Sans timeline. the Princess' Sans sat at the little table in the kitchen with Red, the two speaking quietly. A ghostly Chara floated behind Princess, listening while Fell Frisk explained the day's science lesson. She'd created an interactive model of a plant cell for the girls to play with out of magic and they were having fun poking at different parts to see their function in action.

After an episode in which the Princess attempted to attack my Alphys during a routine check up, and was floored for their trouble, we learned that a similar episode was the origin of the scar on their neck. They'd had been so distraught about Alphys when they came too, and couldn't understand why none of us were worried. My Alphys may be a total nerd, but she isn't a slouch either. She is a dinosaur after all.

It was decided that they would stay here for therapy and live under the care of the Osseins, Verdana and Ravie's parents, while being tutored with Sophia. The decision calmed the child's fears about losing their family on their own timeline from false abuse allegations. The Princess still had episodes, but they were getting fewer and further apart. And where nothing a CyberFell Sans and Frisk couldn't handle in their sleep. Literally in one specific case.

Fell Chara sat on the over stuffed, floral pattern couch, near the table. He held his sleeping, infant niece, Amara, while reading a book. He looked up when I came in. "Find another stray?"

The woman inhaled sharply, glaring, and looked completely at a loss when he winked at her, suddenly blushing. He, like every other male Chara who'd managed to make it to adulthood, had developed a rather devilish charm and didn't mind using it to his advantage.

He motioned to the chair next to him, positioned with it's back to Frisk's sewing desk. "Have a seat, Chara."

She sat down in the offered seat, shaking her head. "How do you know my name?"

"I know me when I see me."

Frisk came in with Cross on her heels. She'd put her equipment away, but left her uniform on. She sat next to Chara on the couch, gently running a fingertip along the baby's puffy pink cheek with a happy smile and a sigh. I sighed as well. We'd been discussing the possibility of a third child and every time Frisk had convinced herself that we were done, she'd find herself cooing over another baby and discussions would renew. Not that I was helpful one way or the other. I'd been very clear that however many children she wanted, that's how many we would attempt to have.

Pulling herself together quickly, Frisk turned to Chara. "Let's start at the beginning. You intentionally left your timeline. How?"

She shook her head, eyes watching Cross. She shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't trying to leave my timeline. I was trying to go back in time. Alphys stole Sans' time machine and hooked it up to the Core hoping that it would give it enough power for me to go back and stop my brother. The time machine crashed on another time line. I didn't understand that at first. I'd just thought I was back on the surface and needed to fall again, but I was pretty hurt from the crash and the time machine was a wreck."

Sophia and the Frisks had stopped their school work, watching us intently. So-So hopped up and came over to put an arm around my hips as my phalanges rested on her shoulder.

"A man dressed completely in gray from head to toe showed up. Even his mouth was covered by a gray bandana."

Frisk and Cross looked at each other, eyes a bit wide, and then at me. I frowned.

"He patched me up. Said he was there for the wreckage but since I didn't belong there, he was taking me with him. When I said that I did belong there, he told me that I was in a different dimension from my own. That the time machine, which shouldn't have worked at all, did something really strange."

"Did he give you a name?" Cross asked.

"Pat."

"Impossible," Frisk whispered.

"Maybe." I sighed. "Depends on when he was there, doesn't it? Time is relative to each universe. He might have picked her up years before he died. Did he have a mechanical skeleton with him?"

She frowned.

"A guy wearing a trench coat, cargo pants, and a bandana over his mouth."

She nodded. "Yes."

Cross let out a breath he was holding.

Frisk frowned. "Did he take you to the Seraph Foundation?"

Chara nodded, black hair swinging a little. "Yeah. It was this massive fortress of a place, like a prison or a vault. I think it was a little of both. There were people there and they looked like they were imprisoned. There were all these things there too. Weird junk from all over. Pat said that it was all like the time machine. Things that shouldn't be, but can't necessarily be destroyed or needed to be studied before being disposed of." She looked around. "So am I back there?"

Frisk shook her head. "You're at Seraph Foundation Site Epsilon. We fix anomalies on other timelines. How did you get to the timeline we found you on?"

"The badge I took from Sans. I learned I could use these really complicated equations to get back home and the only one I could figure out got me there. I was hoping Alphys could get me the rest of the way home."

"Why not ask Sans?"

"I didn't think I could trust him."

A knock came at the door and I opened it. Cross' skelebros greeted me.

"*Hey, Bones."

"DINNER IS READY. HACHIS PARMENTIER."

Sophia let go of me. "Oooooh! I'll go get Brandon!" She ran out the door and down the hall.

"What's Hachis Parmentier?" Chara asked.

"Mashed potatoes over a very juicy ground beef. Also known as heaven," Cross answered, shivering a little at the thought. "Go on and get some."

She looked at him suspiciously. "You're going to talk about me while I'm not here."

"*of course we are!" Red called from the kitchen. "*run along, chica." He waved to the nine year old Frisk. "*take her next door to eat, princess."

They nodded and pushed in their chair at the table. Taking Chara's hand, they pulled her to her feet and led her out the door, following D, who busily made introductions. I shut the door.

Fell Frisk sat next to her Chara, taking the baby as she lifted her shirt to breastfeed. "She's not telling us something. The information she gave was what she thought wasn't significant and as soon as it became obvious that it was, she tried to shift focus off of herself to the facility she was in."

Cross nodded. "Agreed. What do you think, Church?"

Frisk shook her head. "I don't have enough information to even start guessing. What's wrong with her brother?"

Cross smiled. "I was wondering when we'd get back to that. In the face of an impending nuclear disaster, Frisk and Chara Valent were chosen to be trained as monster hunters. Their job was to completely clear out the Underground so humans could move in. They were both taught that monsters were just blood thirsty beings of hate and destruction, hence locking them underground. Once they were dropped inside, Chara realized that monsters weren't the evil she was told they were and refused to kill. Frisk argued that it didn't matter and that humans needed to survive. After gaining a few Levels Of ViolencE, he discovered his ability to save and load, and proceeded to go mad with his godlike power."

"*fuck."

Cross nodded. "I recruited him, but he turned out to be unmanageable. I dumped him back on his timeline."

"Did any of you check her level?" Frisk asked.

Fell Chara reached over, gently tickling the feet of his only human niece. "Yeah. She's got a few, but it's consistent with anyone with martial training from a Fell world."

My phone rang and I sighed. I was going to have to talk to Fase about making my phone ring instead of vibrate when she called. "Yes, Fase?"

The voice of cheery doom dripped from the phone. "Put me on speaker, please!"

I tapped the speaker button.

"The Chara you currently have with you is from a timeline that was sealed off because the Sans, formerly an agent with Site Gamma, went completely insane. He was deemed too dangerous to be allowed to travel off timeline. It appears she was able to leave the timeline due to an anomalous device."

"*and rescued by a dead man," Red grumbled.

"That would not be the case. Chara Valent has been living at Site Alpha for the past twenty years though I do not believe she is aware of that fact."

"She doesn't appear to be older than twenty four, twenty five. If that," Cross commented.

Fase's voice turned dark. "That is not surprising. She is, for some reason, still bound to her timeline despite being away from it long enough to be associated with a different one. Whenever her brother loads a save or resets, Chara returns to the age she was at the time of the save or original entrance to the Underground."

Chara reached over and the baby's tiny hand curled around his finger. "How is she not insane?"

C burst to life on Frisk's shoulder. "How are you not insane from being separated physically from your Frisk?"

Chara snorted. "Who said I'm not? I just hide it well."

Fase continued, "While multiple anomalies are occurring on the timeline, all of them are caused by Frisk Valent's madness and so not something the Foundation usually intervenes in. I will send the necessary equations when you are ready to take her home. Please note that they will only allow Chara back on her timeline." Sadness overcame the voice. "I do not want to risk my brother's escape."

"Understood. Thank you, Fase."

"Of course, Father. There is one more thing. The right handedness you mentioned earlier is not an anomaly caused by the timeline you were on and is not intrinsic to that timeline. It is an ongoing effect from some other source. I am working now to isolate it." The line cut and I shoved my phone back in my pocket.

The door opened without a knock and King Chara strode in with Mage Frisk right behind him. "Where is she?"

"Eating dinner next door. Why?"

"Because all the anomalies that the artifact we're hunting causes have stopped. Meaning she has the artifact on her," Mage Frisk answered.

"What does it look like?"

"A small, blue, plastic dinosaur toy."

I put my hand to my head. My right hand. "Yeah. She has it on her. Is it the reason I'm right handed right now?"

She nodded. "It'll only get worse unless we get it back into the box that neutralizes it."

We rushed to Cross' apartment next door. Inside, the kids sat with D,Papyrus, and Chara at the long dining table eating dinner.

Brandon glanced up at us. "Ooooooh. Somebody's in trouble."

I fought a sigh. My son is just as cheeky as I am.

Chara moved to stand when Sophia reached out and grabbed her hand. "You don't want to run. That never works out."

King Chara held out a hand. "We aren't here to harm you. Just hand over what you stole."

She recoiled. "No!"

Frisk looked at him and her white haired double for a moment, some realization hitting her. She turned back to Chara, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. "What do you need it for?"

Her head dropped, exhausted. "Frisk messed everything up. This can help me fix it." She pulled out the small plastic toy from her pocket.

Mage Frisk sighed. "It won't help you fix anything. What that little dino does is change the world around it to be exactly like the timeline it originally came from. And in that case, it means you commit suicide after convincing a child Asriel to commit murder using your soul. Do you really want that?"

She swallowed. "What about Frisk? Would he be normal?"

Mage Frisk couldn't hide the sorrow in her expression. "You would eventually possess him and convince him to kill, not just all monsters, but everyone. The timeline this came from is gone."

Chara's face crumbled. "What am I supposed to do?! How am I supposed to fix it?!" She dropped the plastic dinosaur to cover her face with her hands. Sophia and little Frisk put their arms around her, hugging her while she cried.

King Chara scooped up the toy, placing it inside a box, closing it and locking it tightly. Mage Frisk frowned at the girl, gently petting her head. "Are we good?"

"Easy way to find out." He held out his fist and I bumped it with my left hand automatically. "It's contained." He hid the box away in his long coat. "I'm sorry, Chara. But this won't help you."

She sniffed. "I guess this means I go back too, huh?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No."

"You aren't... taking me back?"

Chara shook his head. "You lived at Site Alpha. You weren't a prisoner. You could have left whenever you wanted. You were told that every time your brother reset just to be sure you hadn't forgotten."

Frisk sighed as she stood. "You jerk. You always refused joining us because you were already an agent."

He smiled. "I've been an agent a very, long time, Frisk." He held out a hand to his wife. "Come on, Love. Let's get this back where it belongs."

"What do I do now?" the teen whispered.

Chara looked at his female self. "You are surrounded by the exact people you need to help you. Take advantage of that." He pulled his Frisk close and they disappeared.

I sighed and then I noticed that my son had continued eating through the whole exchange as if it'd been normal, or the evening's entertainment. That's Red's particular brand of cheekiness right there. I pulled out a chair for my wife and went to lean against the wall next to Red after she'd sat down. I elbowed him for good measure and he smiled at me, happy that I'd noticed his handiwork.

"Do you have enough information yet to make a plan, Babe?"

"Almost. Is Sans still insane after each reset?"

Chara nodded, looking completely hopeless as the tears fell silently down her face. Princess gently wiped at her face with a cloth handkerchief.

"What color is his eye when he's using magic?" Frisk asked.

"Is that important?"

I nodded. "It tells us a lot about where he is mentally."

"His left eye would alternate between blue and yellow when he used magic. But now, both eyes are blue all the time with these red rings in them."

"*fff-" Red caught himself in front of the kids, though Brandon gave him a look, daring his 'uncle' to actually swear in front of him. "*he's an original variation? one of us going insane is seriously bad news. no wonder fase locked the place down."

"What's the red ring to the eye mean?" So-So asked as she sat back down in her chair.

"*It means that the insanity is very likely permanent," D answered.

Fell Chara pointed at him. "Not if we can unlock her innate abilities as a Chara."

She shook her head. "I can't do anything without that little dinosaur."

"Do you ever get a black goop dripping from your eyes, or your mouth?"

The teen and the ghost hovering over the Princess both looked at him sharply.

"That's the manifestation of what you can do. Not some trinket. You can fix what's wrong on your timeline, you just need to be in the right position to do it."

"Kind of like how I summon you?"

He jumped and rounded on his partner. "Christ, Frisk! Don't scare me like that!"

Exemplar Frisk doubled over laughing. "Oh man! That was the best! So why the party? And why didn't you invite me?" She poked him in the side before getting a look at the food on the table. "Oooh, is that hachis parmentier?"

Papyrus, a wry smile on skull, pushed a plate toward her and she rushed over to the table, sitting next to him to eat. Chara squeezed his eyes shut for a moment in exasperation, but the smile was there, teasing at his lips.

My Sunflower picked up the conversation. "How imminent is nuclear disaster on your world?"

"I don't know. It's just what we were told."

"It isn't," Cross said. "Mount Ebott in her timeline is sitting on a cash of rare earth minerals. The barrier on her timeline will open automatically if all monsters are dead and the monsters need to go for the government to mine the mountain."

Chara looked at him, horrified. "What?!"

Frisk paused for a moment, frowning at Chara as she stared at her hands blankly. She turned to Cross. "Could we contain Frisk if we moved him to the facility?"

Cross nodded. "He's a pretty good fighter, a bit clever, but nothing close to some of the people we've had here."

Frisk rubbed her temples. "Okay. We can't move Sans off timeline and keep him contained. But we can move Frisk. We just need him to reset first. And I mean a true reset."

The woman shook her head. "There's no way. He'll never do it."

We all looked at Cross. He looked at his skelebros for a moment, both of them wearing matching masks of worry. "If you don't ask me how I'll force him to do it, I can get him to true reset."

"*Frisk!" D shook his skull, his single eye turning yellow unconsciously. "*No."

"*i'll be with him, sans."

D looked at Red, frowning deeply. "*That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

Red smiled, holding his arms out. "*hey. you can rely on me. i'm a reliable guy! i can handle sugar puss when she's in that frame of mind. i can handle the piss ant too."

D opened his mouth only to have Papyrus' hand land on his shoulder. "LET RED HANDLE IT."

D's shoulders sank and he nodded.

"Here's the plan. We'll coordinate the timing with Fase." Frisk pointed to Cross. "After you force the true reset, we'll have Fase transport you and Red directly to the cavern entrance to pull Frisk from the timeline. Bones and I will handle Sans. If we're lucky, he might be reset out of the insanity." Frisk turned to the teen. "After that, we'll work on healing your brother here. Do you have memory issues when your brother resets or loads?"

"Sometimes. If he full resets, I probably won't remember much of anything after the reset."

Frisk nodded and pointed to Chara. "Can you handle helping her out?"

"Sure. You ready to be on duty, partner?"

Without lifting her head from her plate, she gave him a thumbs up. She swallowed the food in her mouth. "Sure. I need to change out of my lab scrubs. You never want to wake up to lab scrubs when you aren't in a hospital. Creepy." She looked up at Papyrus. "This is your best yet!"

He smiled at the praise.

Frisk stood and pulled out her phone. "Fase? I have a plan for the Chara Bones called about. Can you give us access while keeping Sans locked down?" She listened carefully before nodding. "Two people at a time are fine. I want passage for Cross and Red first. They are going to force Frisk to reset and then I need them both dropped at the entrance to the cavern so they can bring him to the Foundation. After they are out, Bones and I will need to go in to see if a true reset helped their Sans or not." She fell silent and then nodded. "Understood. Cross will call when he's ready." She hung up and looked at Cross. "Fase says to be careful. Because of the type of lock down on the timeline, she doesn't know what's going on, only that Frisk loaded his save multiple times just after Chara left and then reset multiple times since."

Red pushed off the wall and walked over to Cross. "*do you need to get anything from the equipment room?"

"Nothing I don't already have on me."

Red eyed Cross... and his obvious lack of equipment. "*that's legitimately terrifying."

Cross smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment." He pulled out his phone and dialed. "We're ready Fase." A moment later they disappeared.

Chara hugged herself, shivering, eyes squeezed shut. "I just... I just wanted my little brother to be better." A black tear dripped from her eye. Followed by another and another. Princess Frisk hugged her tightly, mouthing words of comfort mutely. A sudden calm went over Chara and her face changed, becoming younger, less care worn. When she looked up, an eighteen year old face greeted us.

She sniffed, wiping her face as Frisk let go, looking around. "Where am I?" She caught site of D, Papyrus, and I, and stood suddenly, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. She backed into Chara, who gently put his hands on either arm, holding her.

"It's all right. You're safe here."

She turned to look at him and blushed brightly, reaching up to touch her hair as he guided her back to the table. Seeing the children eating as if nothing was wrong, she calmed completely and sat.

Chara righted her chair and held it for her. "You were telling us about your home."

She nodded and sat down. "Where's my brother? His name is Frisk. Did I mention that?"

Chara's partner leaned over the table. "Two friends of ours are looking for him. Here. Finish up your dinner." She pushed the girl's plate back toward her.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just... I don't know." She looked around. "Can you tell me how I got here?"

Chara slid into the seat next to her as Frisk's phone rang.

"Yeah, Red?" She blinked. "What? Are you sure?" She listened for a moment. "We'll check Sans then." She hung up. D was suddenly on his feet and she motioned him to sit. "It's fine, D. It's about her brother. He's fine. And I mean fine in a way we weren't expecting." She walked over to me. "Red said they saw no sign of Sans the entire time they were there."

The apartment door opened and Cross came in with a male teen Frisk who brightened visibly when he saw his sister. "Chara!" He ran and hugged her.

I pulled out my phone as I put my arm around Frisk. "We're up." I dialed Fase for the equations and landed us in Snowdin.

Everything looked as it should. Monsters roamed this way and that, giving us smiles and waves as we passed, a few stopping to ask if we were visiting from New Home. We walked to this timeline's version of the house Papyrus and I had once shared underground. This world's Papyrus was hanging strings of colored lights on the house. A white dog rolled in the snow near the house, chewing on one of Papyrus' special attacks.

Frisk called up to him. "Papyrus! Where is your brother?"

"BROTHER? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT HAVE A BROTHER! THOUGH IF YOU NEED A BROTHER, I WOULD BE MOST HAPPY TO HELP YOU! A BROTHER AS COOL AND AS AWESOME AS I WOULD SURELY BE A BOON TO YOU!"

Frisk and I looked at each other.

"Are there any other skeleton monsters around then?" I asked.

He shook his head. "ALAS, THE ONLY OTHER SKELETON MONSTER I KNOW OF IS MY FATHER AND HE PASSED AWAY SOME YEARS AGO. THOUGH I SUPPOSE I CAN NOW COUNT YOU AS THE SECOND I HAVE EVER MET. GREETINGS!"

Frisk smiled. "Thank you."

"OF COURSE! THOUGH IF YOU DO DECIDE YOU NEED A BROTHER, I SHALL BE MOST HAPPY TO BE OF SERVICE. I THINK IT WOULD BE QUITE NICE TO HAVE A SIBLING!" He turned back to the light strings, carefully attaching them with a staple gun.

Frisk yanked on my sleeve. "Call Fase."

I pulled out my phone, holding it between us as I dialed. "Fase?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Release the lock down on this timeline and look for Sans," Frisk ordered.

"Is that wise?"

Frisk sighed. "I don't think Sans exists anymore."

There was silence for a few moments and Techno Sans came on the line. "*if i pull this lock and he escapes, you two get to chase him down."

"Deal," I agreed.

"*give us a minute."

Frisk shivered, and cuddled close to me. I put my arm around her and seized the opportunity to take a selfie of the two of us. She smiled brightly for me as I snapped the photo, giggling a little as she kissed the bottom edge of my mandible.

"Look at you! The big, bad ass Frisk being all cute and adorable. Motherhood must have made you soft."

She pursed her lips, but her smile still curled them a little. "You're a dead man."

"That's only because I refuse to run."

Frisk chuckled, rolling her eyes as she cuddled in close again. I leaned down a little to nuzzle the top of her head.

"*are you sure you're on the right timeline?" Sans asked.

"Fase is literally incapable of making that kind of mistake, so yes."

Fase's voice of cheery doom filled the air. "The Sans associated with this timeline is gone. Completely. It looks like he existed until a few hours before Alphys used the time machine to send Chara back in time. I..." There was silence for a moment. "Sans? I think Chara rewrote him out of existence."

"*an original variation? no."

"Look at the record! He attacked her and she defended herself. If she wanted him gone hard enough, she may have activated her own power and literally made him go away forever!"

"It explains why Frisk attempted to reload and reset so often afterward," Frisk added. "He was trying to get Sans back. It's why she has levels."

I looked down at Frisk. "She was crying black tears when she said she wanted her brother to be better. Those same tears cut my magic earlier."

"The Frisk that Red and Cross found after the reset wasn't the genocidal maniac Cross originally found here. She rewrote him... from an entire timeline away."


	5. Ep5 Connection in the Dark

Core Issues: Season Four

by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk belongs to ilanitalia!

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 5 - Connection in the Dark  
(Bones is our narrator!)

"Help! Please! Anyone! We need help!"

I sat up out of a dead sleep looking around the bedroom. Moonlight trickled in the window over the bed, casting the room in a silver glow. Frisk lay next to me, sleeping deeply and comfortably. The voice that'd woken me wasn't Brandon or Sophia. I listened for a moment, and on hearing nothing, laid back down. Frisk turned over in her sleep, snuggling up with one hand rested on my ribs. I ran my phalanges through her long hair, pushing it away from her face, before clasping her hand in mine and touching her finger tips to my mouth. She sighed softly at the touch, pressing closer. I nuzzled her cheek before laying my skull back on the pillow and closing my eye sockets.

"Please! Please help..."

I sat up again, this time listening to the void.

"Please... someone... anyone..." A deep anguish filled the pleading.

Careful not to jostle Frisk, I rolled out of bed before sighing at myself. Gazing down at her peaceful sleep, I hadn't needed to worry too much about waking her. I'd rolled her earlier and she always slept deeply afterward. Pulling on a pair of jeans, I wandered into the living room. Listening through the void, I tried to pinpoint where the voice originated from. I heard a book hit the floor in the kids' room. I opened the door and peeked in. Brandon and Sophia shared a forest green painted, wooden bunk bed that looked like a massive book shelf. Actual book shelves over their desks flanked either side of the bunk. The rubber ducky nightlight glowing from their shared bathroom, shed a little light into the room that was otherwise filled with their toys and books. Sophia was completely out in the top bunk, breathing deep against her pillow.

Brandon sat up when I came in, eyes glowing a light blue in the dark. "Dad? I hear a voice. It's calling for help."

I smiled and knelt next to his bed. "I hear it too. It's okay. Mom and I are going to help them."

"Okay." He reached out, and instead of fingers, phalanges touched my skull. "Dad? Why are So-So and I different?"

I took his skeletal hand in mine. "You two aren't that different. You just take after me more than your mother." I tapped on his phalanges.

Brandon smiled and the fingers returned. "I thought mom would freak out when she saw the bones, but she just kissed my skull like nothing was wrong."

I ruffled his dark hair. "That's because nothing is wrong at all. Sleep tight, kiddo. Uncle Asriel will come in soon and you need your beauty sleep. You won't be as good looking as me if you don't get any sleep."

His eyes closed. "But you don't sleep at all..."

"Exactly. Think about how much cooler I'd look if I actually slept more." I pulled the blanket over my son as he laid back down. "Sleep tight, kiddo." I stood to push So-So's hair out of her mouth before heading back into the living room.

There was a knock at the front door and I opened it to find Frisk Ossein leaning against the door jamb in her purple pajamas, barely awake. Her exemplar, Crow, was helping her keep her feet while Umbra, the Umbreon she'd picked up on a Pokemon timeline a few months back, yawned as it leaned against her legs.

"Do you hear that? The voice in the void?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. That means I'm not dreaming it. I'm gonna get dressed and see if my partner is around."

The door to Cross' apartment opened. Both D and Papyrus came out, looking refined even in their pajamas, and stopped when they saw us.

"*You heard it, right? The voice?"

"IT SOUNDS VERY DISTRESSED."

"It does." I put a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "If Chara is here, get him up. Prep for unknown."

She nodded, before turning, the massive ninja exemplar helping her walk down the hall.

The next door down opened and Sans Ossein's skull popped out. On seeing us in the hall, he came out, Princess Frisk holding onto his black hoodie and her ghostly Chara hanging onto her. "*do you guys hear something in the void?"

"Yeah. Didn't know you were connected."

"*i'm not. Frisk woke up crying saying someone needed help."

I frowned. I'd had a sneaking suspicion for a while that the Frisk covered in so many scars had some connection to the void. But the confirmation wasn't exactly a welcome thing.

D knelt next to them with a smile. "It's all right. Bones will find the person who needs help and get them what they need. All you need to do is get some sleep. I'm sure that when he comes back, he'll have another exciting story to tell you."

The Princess nodded, smiling at him before trotting back inside the apartment.

"*i was worried that might be the case. that connection is likely helping to fuel the creature that lives in her head."

I raised a brow bone. "Creature?"

D stood. "*There's something in there made from her and her soul-mate's combined Determination. It's what causes the episodes. They're fewer now and she goes longer without having them, but I think it's just biding it's time. Waiting for the right moment to attack. It's trying to get her to reset."

I frowned. "How close has she come to actually resetting?"

"Not too close." D's most devilish smile graced his skull. "I called Fase about it and right now, her reset is completely disabled. And the thing that's tormenting the two of them doesn't know it because I haven't told them."

Sans chuckled. "*nice. i'll see you guys in the morning." His mechanical arm pulled the door shut behind him.

Papyrus sighed. "I'LL MAKE SOME COFFEE. SHALL I WAKE MY LITTLE BROTHER?"

I shook my skull. "If we need Cross, we'll call." I left the door open as I turned and looked around for my cellphone. Finding it on the table, I texted Asriel, knowing the ring on his end would wake him up. Heading into the bedroom, I gently took Frisk's right arm, running my phalanges over the line of sunflowers tattooed into the soft skin of the inside of her arm.

She rolled over and gave me a sleepy smile. "Yeah?"

"Someone is calling for help across the void itself."

She frowned, blinking the sleep away from her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Someone is crying into the void and it's loud enough that it woke Brandon, Ossein, Princess, D, and his brother. I'm pretty sure that if I went to the suite right now, Paps is probably up. I want to get to where ever this call is coming from before someone who isn't all that helpful hears it and causes problems."

Nodding, Frisk rolled out of bed, turning to pull the sheets and quilt back into position. She stopped dead for a moment. "Princess? The kiddo can hear it too?"

I nodded.

She frowned, processing that for a moment before filing it away somewhere in the back of her mind. Turning back to the sheets, she made the bed. I took a moment to enjoy the view before grabbing a white sweater from a drawer and puling it over my head. Closing the bedroom door behind me, I found Asriel, still in his scrubs, coming in the front door.

"Still up, huh?"

"Just finished up a few things in the lab."

D came in and set a carafe down before heading into the kitchen for mugs. I picked up my jacket from the back of a chair and pulled it on as Frisk came out of the bedroom in her dark blue uniform, pulling her hair into a braid. She smiled when she saw Az and stood on her toes to rub noses with him before accepting a cup of coffee from D. Frisk Ossein, now in her dark green uniform, and looking much more awake, came in the front door.

Fell Chara, his hair getting particularly long now, followed behind her, looking bemused. "How did you not know I was here? I was sitting on the couch watching Netflix when you walked passed me."

She shrugged at him. And he sighed.

"You good for a mission?" I asked as I took the mug D offered me.

He nodded. "Yeah. Frisk and Az are in the Underground today with the kids so they don't need me around."

"I meant on sleep."

"Oh yeah. I'm good. I'm just up early today."

D held out a cup of coffee to Az and he shook his head. "I need to go to bed and that'll keep me up." He stood. "Is the trundle made?"

"Always," Frisk answered. She hugged him. "Thank you." The goat king leaned down to rub noses with her again before disappearing into the kids' room. I heard a muffled 'oof' soon after, a sign that Brandon had immediately crawled on top of his uncle.

Ossein downed her coffee in one gulp and handed the cup back to D. "Thank you. Quick stop at the equipment closet and then into the void?"

I nodded. "We need to be quick. The voice is fading."

"Why don't we perk it up, then?" Ossein closed her eyes, appearing to have fallen asleep. When she opened them again, her dark brown irises had turned an inky blue and appeared to be filled with tiny dots of light. "We're coming. Keep talking so we can find you."

I elbowed Chara. "Did you know she could do that?"

He sighed. "I'm pretty sure she didn't know she could do it until she just tried it. But the void eye thing? Her eyes have been looking like that a lot lately. Fase said it's nothing to worry about."

The voice in the void came back, clear and strong. "Here. We're here."

Frisk blinked a couple times, eyes returning to there typical dark brown. "There we go!"

Chara eyed his partner. "You just don't miss a beat, do you?"

"Nope!" She grabbed his hand. "Come on! I need my bag!" She went out the door, dragging Chara behind her.

D gathered up the empty mugs and set them in the kitchen. "I'm up for the morning, so call me if you need Frisk."

"Thanks, man."

He nodded and headed out the door, pulling it shut behind him. Frisk went up on her tiptoes, kissing the underside of my mandible. I shivered a little, last night's activities still humming freshly in my bones. Time to move along.

"Ready?"

Frisk nodded and I short cut us to the equipment room. Chara waited next to the door, leaning against the wall while his partner hemmed and hawed over what to take before finally settling on the bag that was packed with medical supplies. Frisk dropped her jacket to slide on a holster and arm herself.

I shouldered my bag and turned to the kids. "Do you want to lead?"

Frisk thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. I can handle that."

"You sure?" Chara teased. "I don't want to be lost in the void."

She grabbed his bag off the shelf and whipped it at him. He caught it with a rather infuriating smile, and got a glare for his trouble. My Sunflower chuckled while she pulled her jacket back on, checking the pockets. Chara pushed off the wall and put his arm around his partner, while my girl stepped up to me, one hand pulling her bag onto her shoulder. Frisk closed her eyes and stepped us into the void. She opened her eyes, inky blue orbs looking around in the black nothing before choosing a direction. She called out and adjusted direction based on response.

Frisk nestled against me, letting her head rest against my ribs.

"Brandon can hear the voice." I shifted a little so my hand was on Frisk's waist, under her jacket. "He's really coming along in the boss monster department. So he tried to surprise you with the skeletal transformation?"

Frisk nodded. "I think he was disappointed that I didn't freak out." She entwined her fingers with my phalanges, watching Chara and Frisk float along ahead of us. "So-So's eyes have started to glow more often."

"I noticed that. I keep putting it off, but I need to start teaching them magic."

She looked up at me. "What's the hold up?"

"You can't use magic and I didn't want to teach the kids to do something that you can't naturally counter." I felt something pull on my jacket and looked around, finding nothing.

"Something wrong?"

I frowned and shook my head. It was a good half hour before we landed on a timeline and in the middle of the ruins of a huge city.

The entire area appeared to have been bombed heavily twenty or more years ago, with nature having crept in to take over where humans had left. Tall buildings lay broken across six lane avenues, concrete, steel, and large pieces of shattered glass littering the asphalt. Other buildings leaned against burned out structures that had yet to fall. Trees and shrubbery just now shrugging off the yellow green of spring for the darker greens of summer had taken over, growing out of broken windows and through rusted out and broken vehicles. Birds sang to each other in the green while squirrels ran here and there.

"Are we in the right place?" Chara asked as he turned on his heel, taking in the scenery.

"Yeah. This is the timeline with the distress call."

Chara came to a stop and sighed. "Yeah. Are we in the right place on the timeline?"

Frisk glared at her partner, lips pursed. He gave her his best smirk and her shoulders dropped in annoyance. "We are in the right place, Chara." She looked at me. "Back me up here."

Before I could respond, the bushes to the right moved as a lanky, teen girl wearing a green and yellow striped shirt and shorts came into view. She watched us carefully, ready to bolt if she had too.

Chara immediately put himself between his partner and the girl. "And you are a Chara in a Frisk's body. What have you done?"

She froze and backed away a little. "How did you know?"

His cocked his head up and to the side, looking down his nose at her like a prince looking down at a particularly distasteful peasant. He'd been spending too much time around his father. "I know me when I see me."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Frisk let Asriel win. I just took over her body after the fight."

Frisk pushed her partner aside. "Not the time, Your Highness."

He grimaced suddenly at the moniker, looking away.

Frisk took the teen's hands in hers. "You're the one who called for help. It was your voice in the void. What do you need?"

"You're the one who answered. You're all Seraph agents aren't you?" She spied the symbol on Frisk's jacket and stepped back out of her reach. "Oh hell. You're going to make us reset aren't you?"

I shook my skull. "Nah. That's not how we work, kid. Tell us what's wrong."

Her shoulders dropped, eyes staring at the ground as she fought against tears. "Asriel's sick. He's dying."

Frisk grabbed her hand again. "I'm a medic. Take me to him."

The teen Chara led us deep into the city, passed and around the over grown wreckage, to a more suburban area and a well kept mini-mansion. It was a two story, brown brick home with steep roofs, sprawling across a half a block. The entire home was well hidden behind a tall, and thick, solid brick fence and many trees. Two dog monster, royal guardsmen watched the iron gate. They let us in, though they eyed us suspiciously. Inside, the house was a well appointed ode to upper middle class American life. Large windows let in copious amounts of sunlight into a white and pale blue living room with a dark wood floor. We climbed a white painted staircase that ran the length of the living room to the second floor. Going down a hall to the master bedroom, we found an adult Asriel laying in the queen-sized bed, breathing heavily and very uncomfortably. Even laying down I could tell that he was shorter and thinner than my Asriel by at least a foot and looked much younger as well. His fur was falling out in patches and the skin underneath was an awful gray.

Frisk and her partner gasped before rushing to the bed, both pulling on surgical masks as they sat on either side of the bed. After snapping on a pair of gloves, Frisk touched the goat's face, forcing an eye open to look at it.

Asriel groaned. A weak voice slipped from the prince's lips. "Seraph agents...? No..." He attempted to move and Chara held him down.

"It's okay, Your Highness. We aren't here to interfere with your world." Frisk grabbed a pen light from her kit. "You need medical attention. Open your mouth."

The goat prince compiled, too weak to argue.

"Ah hell, you've got yellow pustules all over your tongue."

Chara looked up at her sharply and C suddenly appeared on my wife's shoulder.

"How bad is that?" I asked.

"Poison. He's been poisoned," C said. "Goat monsters only get them when they've been poisoned."

Frisk dug through her kit. "I need to identify the poison so I know how to treat it."

The teen Chara covered her mouth with her hands. "How? How was he poisoned?"

"Ingested." Frisk looked at her. "Didn't you accidentally poison Asgore with the golden flowers when you were a child? Because this is the exact same response."

She shook her head. "No. Why... Why would I do that to dad?"

Chara looked at his partner. "Was he poisoned with the golden flowers?

Frisk shook her head. "No. His fur wouldn't be falling out, he'd just be bed ridden and too weak to do more than speak. I should be able to identify what's going on with my field kit. I need a kitchen with some open counter space." She pulled a small box out of her kit. "Are you allergic to alcohol or iodine, Your Highness?"

Asriel blinked at her, taking a little to register what was asked. "No..."

Frisk turned his arm, frowning as fur fell away. She felt along the inside of his elbow, looking for a thick vein. "I'm going to draw blood. After that, I'm going to pop one of the pustules on your tongue to get a sample of what's underneath. That's going to help me figure out what's killing you."

He nodded weakly as she popped open the box and began the process of drawing blood. He whined a little when the needle went in, but held still while samples were drawn. Frisk reached out, grabbing the teen and dragging her over to the bed as she withdrew the needle and lifted Asriel's arm in the air.

"Keep his arm up and hold the gauze here."

The girl held the gauze in place over the tiny opening in the vein while Frisk opened Asriel's mouth, gently touching the swollen tongue.

"Chara? Hold his jaw so he doesn't bite me while I do this."

He reached over, gently grasping around Asriel's snout, before gripping firmly. "Can you imagine doing this for my brother?"

Frisk sucked in a breath. "Yeah. No. I'd just ask his wife to use magic to hold his jaw open for me."

The teen looked around Asriel's arm. "Wife?"

Chara looked up at her from where he leaned over the bed. "My Frisk is married to my Asriel."

The teen looked at Ossein. "You aren't his Frisk?"

Frisk carefully lanced one of the pustules, draining it into a test tube. "Technically speaking, no. I shouldn't exist so all of my 'people' are surrogate. He's my Chara the same way that Bones' and Frisk's Asriel has become my Asriel." She pulled back. "You can let him go." Capping the tube and cleaning up, she dumped the used needles and gloves in a bio-waste bag. Reaching out, she gently petted the top of Asriel's head, earning a sigh. "Just hold on. As soon as I figure out what this is, I can fix it and you'll be feeling better in no time." She took his arm from the teen, applying fresh gauze and a bandage, before laying the arm back down. "I need a kitchen now."

The teen nodded. She hugged Asriel tightly for a few moments. "I'll be back soon, Azzy. Promise."

The goat prince weakly turned his snout to nuzzle the side of her face. Reluctant to leave, she stepped away to lead us back down the stairs and into a grand kitchen with open face stone work, expansive granite counters, and dark stained wood. A cat monster and human woman were prepping food. The cat monster looked at the teen with growing sadness as she stopped working to hug the girl. The woman took one look at us and wiped her hands on her apron. She walked out of the kitchen murmuring about needing the bathroom. As Ossein set up on a counter, my Sunflower started going through the cabinets methodically, moving cups and dishes around.

The teen followed Frisk as she searched the shelves. "What are doing?"

"Investigating. The easiest way to ingest a poison is through food so I'm searching your kitchen."

"Then what's the point of the blood work?"

"Same idea," Chara said. "You don't just look in one place for information."

Frisk motioned for the teen to sit. "Why don't you tell us about your timeline while we work. I'm really interested to know where the other boss monsters are."

The teen sat down across from Ossein as she pulled on a new set of gloves. "They're still in Asriel." She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not exactly clear on how everything happened. I was sleeping for the most part."

I leaned against a counter. "Start with you. How did you die?"

"I committed suicide and Asriel took my soul. I wanted him to open the barrier so monsters could wipe out humanity. Instead, I got us both killed. I was stuck in that damn flower with him, but I don't think he knew I was there."

"Why did Frisk let Asriel win in the final battle?"

She shook her head. "I don't know for sure. But I do know that the wreckage you saw when you got here was the reason they went up Mt. Ebott. The humans who survived said that a world war broke out. No one is sure how many humans are left."

Chara took a chair. "In the final battle, did Asriel say he would reset everything to zero?"

"Yeah."

"That might be the answer as to why right there. Reset everything and no war. So after the battle ended, you took Frisk's body and Asriel let all the souls but those of the boss monsters leave him, correct?"

She nodded. "With the barrier broken, we came up and found the surface a wasteland. Because of that, the majority of monsters still live Underground."

Frisk paused at one cabinet, checking each of the spice containers. "And your relationship with the remaining human population?"

"For the most part, they were happy to have the extra help rebuilding what little was left here."

"They 'were.' What changed?"

"Humans we'd never seen before came into the area. Asriel told them they were welcome to stay so long as the didn't harm the monsters or the original residents. And they agreed to the terms only to start causing problems immediately, saying that monsters were to be feared and should be locked up or killed. The original human residents are very few in number and Asriel knew that they wouldn't survive without someone's help and, on the whole, they seemed to want the new humans over the monsters. So instead of forcing the new comers to leave, he ordered all monsters out of the human neighborhoods. We've been here for a while, so it meant splitting a few families, and that really hasn't gone over well even though those humans are allowed to visit. Rebuilding and farming has been badly stunted since. We struggle to make sure everyone has enough food. The majority of the newcomers don't exactly help much in that area."

"And then Asriel started getting sick." Frisk closed the last jar in the spice cabinet. "The spices and cabinets are clean. Have anything yet from the blood work?"

"I don't have an ID, but I have a lead. This looks like cicutoxin, but Asriel is presenting the wrong symptoms for a goat monster poisoned with it. But this does confirm that the poison is plant based and has been fed to him." Ossein looked up at the cat monster. "Where does your food come from? Specifically the fruits and vegetables."

"The garden in the back yard."

"Show me."

The cat monster led us into the backyard, accessed easily from the kitchen's back door. Several square, raised bed, garden boxes took up the entire backyard. Each grouping of plants was carefully labelled.

Ossein looked to Frisk. "I'm looking for something that can be mistaken for another plant."

"Like how water hemlock can be mistaken for a parsnip?"

She nodded. They went through the garden, checking each plant carefully, without uprooting it to keep the food supply intact.

After an hour, Frisk stood, brushing off her pants. "The garden is clean. That means something is being brought in from off premises." She turned to the cat monster. "The human who was working with you, does she bring food into the house?"

"I've never seen her do it." The cat monster's ears twitched. "She used to be really nice and we'd talk all the time, but now she just comes in, works, and takes the human's share with her when she leaves."

"You give them food?" Chara asked.

"The humans can't grow enough on their own since the newcomers got here. We can't let them starve," the teen explained.

Frisk frowned. "Does the woman have any monster family?"

The cat monster shook her head. "She's just worked with us since we came to the surface."

"Where do the humans live?"

"The humans live in the neighborhoods just down the street."

Frisk nodded and looked to Ossein. "Let's go plant hunting. Chara and Chara? Would you both stay here with Asriel and keep an eye on his condition?"

Fell Chara and the teen both nodded and headed back into the house. We went back through the house and out the front door. Heading past the gate and the suspicious guards, we walked down the street into a neighborhood filled with mid-sized suburban homes. While each home was painted differently, they each had the same basic, two story design, revealing that it had once been part of some developer's planned community. The Frisks walked ahead of me, eyes looking over every garden and every stray plant. Thickly wooded areas pushed up against the houses on the edges of the community.

Crow was suddenly standing next to me and I turned. A group of humans were following us at a good distance. I stopped, putting my hands in my pockets.

I gave them a smile. "Yo. What's with the sudden audience?"

A man pushed his way to the front. "We were very clear to that brat in the big house. The monsters don't come here. Ever."

Ossein was suddenly standing next to me, all spit and fire. "Not even when they're making sure you have enough to eat? That you don't die? One of you is attempting to kill the monster prince. I think that's a real good reason to be here."

Frisk put a hand on her young double's shoulder and Ossein settled back, but still fumed. "There are so few of you and instead of working to make sure you have food security and shelter that can last you through the winter months, you're following us around. I find that very curious. It's almost like you don't expect to be here for every long."

Several of the group looked at each other, some looking a little too surprised. I lifted a hand, looking over the group with the void as a lens. "Most of these people don't belong on this timeline."

Frisk nodded. "And they know it. I suspected as much." She stepped ahead of me. "You know you don't belong here, so you don't care what happens to the people here after you leave. You just have a vendetta and that means you're hurting innocents."

The man leading the group marched up to her, looking to intimidate her with his size. "The monster leaves or we make him leave."

A loud whistle drew everyone's attention. Walking toward us was a tall, thin man in dark green cargo pants stuffed in a pair of heavy duty boots, with a lighter green shirt under a jacket to match the pants. He wore Seraph Foundation armor over his shirt rather than under it. On his shoulder rested an energy sword created by magic, it's blade the same blood red as his eyes.

He tossed the brown hair that'd fallen in his face back with a motion of his head. "I was really damn clear that so long as you were here, that you weren't to cause any trouble for the residents and here I find you getting a nice sized posse together." He smiled wickedly. "You know what? Throw a punch at her. Go ahead. Because she's the most bad ass Seraph agent and I would honestly love to see her mangle you. No. Wait. Actually attack the skeleton monster. He's a boss monster, which means watching you all run in real terror from what one those can dish out would be far more entertaining if less visceral. It might even teach you not to be such an ass."

The man looked down at Frisk and then back at the new comer before retreating. The group took his cue and dispersed, quickly running back to different houses along the street. The newcomer shot forward quickly, the sword disappearing from his hand as he ran passed us and into the woods behind one house. Frisk turned and followed him. He'd come to a dead stop in a clearing deep in the woods, looking around at nothing before swearing and kicking a rock, sending it off a near tree.

"Dammit! I missed it again!" His shoulders dropped as he sighed. Noticing we were there, he turned. "Oh. Hey." He held out a hand to me. "I'm Chara Dreemurr. Though I suppose that part was obvious. I'm a Site Alpha agent. So why is Epsilon here?"

I took his hand with a smile. "I'll take it you know who we are. This world's Chara was crying into the void for help so we ran here before someone less likely to be helpful could show up. The Asriel here is in bad shape. Why are you here?"

"I know you and Church. Oh, wait, I guess its Gaster now, huh? You're both pretty famous." He gestured vaguely to the air. "The anomaly that has been moving people from one timeline to another has lined up multiple times here. I'm trying to catch those portals to gather data from them. I called for a team to remove the people from the other timelines, but they haven't arrived yet, which is starting to piss me off." He huffed. "What's wrong with this world's Asriel?"

I heard the snap of a latex glove and saw Ossein digging around the area. "He's been poisoned and we're working out by what specifically." She pulled out a plastic bag. "This place is just teaming with poisonous plants." She pulled up several different greens, shoving them into the bag. "I'll bet one of these is the culprit. If I can get a match, I will know how to cure him."

Chara watched her, eyes dilated, face a tad flushed. He blinked, looking away for a moment, before turning back to Frisk. "How bad is he?" His eyes slid back to Ossein.

Frisk pursed her lips so as not to smile too widely. "He's bed ridden with gray skin, and his fur is falling out. That's Frisk Ossein. We're helping her identify the plant that's poisoning him."

"Are you sure it's from this timeline and not brought here from somewhere else?" he asked.

Ossein gave him a smile and his cheeks turned pink. "Nope! But this is a good start. Let's hurry back." She looked around. "I hope someone can lead the way, because I have no idea where we are right now."

Chara stood up a little taller and nodded for her to follow. "It's this way."

"Sweet! So what's your story? Are you from a swap world?"

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he led her away. "Uh. No. As far as I know, there isn't a Frisk on my timeline. After mom and dad adopted me, they realized I needed help. Years of therapy and six more fallen children later, we opened the barrier."

As soon as his back was turned, Frisk covered her face with her hand, fighting not to laugh.

I elbowed her. "I didn't think love at first sight existed," I whispered.

She narrowed her eyes at me, a smile curling the edges of her lips. "Are you saying that when you first saw me come out of the Ruins that you weren't stricken madly in love?"

"I was too busy being struck with some mad fear over your LV."

She chuckled. "Here I give you a chance to be super romantic and you just decide to be truthful."

I put an arm around her waist as we walked back. "Do you really want to know when it was? That moment that I looked at you and thought you were the most sublime creature in the entire cosmos?"

She smiled at me, ready for a joke. "Yeah. Lay it on me."

"It was when you saw Waterfall for the first time. Your 'mission mask' fell away as you gazed across the glowing waters. And I saw you. The real you. And after that, I did everything in my power to see that face again."

She looked down, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she grinned. "Did that include the hot dog stacking?"

I smirked and pulled her along. "Of course."

We came to the tree line and an alarm beeped. Chara reached out, and pulled down a holographic terminal out of no where.

Ossein gasped. "You're a terminal user?! Sweet! Can you access this world's code?"

He smiled, pleased that she was impressed, and nodded. "I can, but if I do, whatever is causing people to move across timelines might notice and I'll lose all my data." He tapped the screen. "Another portal has connected. Do you need help getting back to the monsters' place?"

She shook her head. "It's just up the way from here." She looked at Frisk and I. "You two heading off with him?"

Frisk nodded. "I want to see one of these portals."

Chara's terminal disappeared. "Then we need to run because these things don't last long." He turned. "This way."

As Ossein went back up the street, Frisk and I headed after Chara. He jogged down the road and turned into a part of the neighborhood that was overgrown. Some homes barely stood with collapsed roofs and walls. Others looked as if a tornado had ripped through them, which may have actually been the case depending on the area's weather patterns. Chara went up the driveway to one house, inspecting the broken garage door. He pulled down the holographic terminal, and without looking began typing in information.

I lifted my hand, lensing the door through the void. "It's connected to Red's world."

Chara glanced at me and nodded. Reaching out, he touched the opening in the broken wood and his hand disappeared. He pulled his hand back. "This one is like the others. You can pass through either way."

"How often are these alignments happening?" Frisk asked.

"Too often. It looks like this one is clear of anyone attempting to walk through it." He turned to us. "Every hundred years or so, the prime world reorients itself in the cosmos. When that happens, timelines shift around and some line up. Random chance means people from one timeline may unknowingly walk into another one." He sighed. "When it happens, we see 90 to 100 people cross timelines and have to be transported home, if that. This time, we've documented almost a thousand people."

Frisk looked at him. "Something's making the timelines line up."

He nodded. "That's what the data is telling me, but I can't figure out why."

There was a loud noise behind the house and Chara closed the terminal. Frisk took the lead, sneaking around one side of the house and up to a wooden fence. After looking through the holes in the boards for a few moments, she opened the gate and stepped through. The backyard was empty but for a rusted out swing set and another fence surrounding the back yard. Looking around, she shrugged, ready to leave when the a loud bang sounded again.

And again.

And again.

Frisk ran to the retaining fence, looking through to the yard of the house behind it. We looked through the openings in the fence at a huge log resting a sling, being outfitted with a metal cap.

"What the..." Chara backed up. "They're building a ram? Where the hell are these guys from that they hate monsters so badly?"

Frisk shook her head as she backed up. "That doesn't matter. How soon till we see your team?"

Chara frowned. "They should have been here by now."

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I stepped back to the derelict house to take the call. "What's up, kiddo?"

Frisk Ossein's voice sounded a little too strained. "Asriel's worse. I've identified the poison but I can't get an antidote together without leaving. And I can't leave because we have a mass of people gathering outside the gates. They haven't done anything yet, but they trapped all the monsters on the surface in here with us by herding them out of the surrounding area."

"Be there in a few." I hung up. "The kid's figured out what's happening to Asriel, but can't make an antidote. We've got hostiles at the mansion and they're forcing monsters to retreat behind the gates."

Frisk looked back through the fence. "They're moving the battering ram. Short cut back to the house?"

I nodded and held out my hand. She took it as Chara put his hand on my boney arm. The world disappeared for a moment and came back together inside the master bedroom of the mini-mansion. The goat prince lay gasping for air. Multiple monsters lined the room, several huddling with the teen Chara, watching or praying silently as Ossein worked.

Fell Chara looked up from where he was crouched over Asriel, trying to keep him awake. "He keeps having seizures."

Ossein pulled out her pen light to check his eyes. They were dilated and leaking a yellow liquid. She threw the pen in frustration, breaking it against the wall. "Dammit! Change of plan! I'm making a deal with Black." She put an arm under him. "Give me some help here, Chara."

As Fell Chara's arm went under him, the other two stepped forward. He looked at them both. "She means me. And, hey man. Nice to meet you. Sorry to run."

The teen pushed Terminal Chara aside. "Wait! Where are you taking him?!"

Frisk put her hand on the teen's shoulder. "To a Sans that can help him."

Ossein looked at her. "Put a hand on my shoulder and hold tight."

"If we leave, the monsters will be defenseless!"

Fell Chara looked at her. "They've been defenseless for a while and he can't defend anyone like this." He looked over. "How immanent is the danger?"

I grimaced. "They've made a ram to break down the gate."

"Well then, you three of you take care of that."

The teen turned to me. "Swear that you'll protect them!"

I took her hand. "I swear it. Go."

The teen put her hand on Ossein's shoulder and they disappeared.

Frisk headed back down to the living room were several monsters huddled together, a few crying. From there we could hear the humans roaring outside the gate. "We have a group of hostiles heading this way." She looked to the glass door and a view of the humans packed up at the gate. "There are way too many out there for just the three of us."

I raised a brow bone. "I think you're selling me short."

"I think you'll be concentrating too hard on watching my back." She gave me a rather infuriating smile before turning to Chara. "Any idea on how long we have until your team gets here?"

He pulled down his terminal, staring at the screen. "The team will arrive in..." A dangerous gleam lit his eyes. "Sophia? I want the team here in five minutes with containment for multiple hostiles or they all get to find out what happened to Agent 31 in a very personal and intimate demonstration." He exhaled like he was letting off a lot of pressure and smiled when he looked at us. "They'll be here in five."

"What happened to Agent 31?" Frisk asked.

He grimaced and sighed. "Ask Cross the next time you see him."

A dog monster guard from the gate ran in. "There are humans attempting to break down the gate! Where is the Prince?"

"He's been moved to safety," I said.

The guard blinked at me. "A boss monster..."

The other monsters huddled around looked at me with a renewed hope.

"We still need more people..." Frisk pulled out her phone and chose from the contacts list. She groaned. "We're on a world without connection." She hopped in place for a moment before she grabbed Chara's arm. "The portal to Underfell! Is it still active?"

Chara checked the terminal. "Yes."

She looked to me. "Short cut me there and I'll be back with help."

"And what do we do in the mean time?"

Frisk looked at Chara. "I'm pretty sure Chara has a few ideas."

I sighed and short cut her back to the derelict house. She went through the portal, disappearing into Red's world. I frowned and short cut back to the living room. Chara waved for me to follow him out of the mansion and to the gate. A few of the humans stopped yelling and banging on the gate when they saw Chara. Some attempted to get away, but where stuck by the mass of people behind them.

"A few of them are pretty scared of you."

"When I first got here I found a few of the off worlders harassing a monster. The ass kicking I handed out was pretty brutal." He motioned to the gate. "The crowd is thinning in the back. That means they're bringing in the ram." He looked around the wooded yard. "Short cut up to the top of the tree there. Put up a magic barrier in front of the gate and provide me with magic support from there. They won't think to look for you up there, so you'll won't have to worry about them targeting you. I'm going to sneak out over the fence to the right and circle around to start taking people down from behind. Hopefully, Frisk will be back by then with back up and we'll have the crowd locked down when my team shows up."

"Got it." I short cut into the near tree, making sure I was well hidden in the foliage while still be able to see below.

My left eye activated and a layer of glowing bones covered the gate. The people closest to the gate noticed but looked unsure as to what to do about it even as they were finally able to back away for the ram. The people in the back pulled on the ram's sling, the ropes stretching as the ram came back. A red energy blade cut through the air, severing the ropes holding the ram to the sling and it dropped to the ground uselessly.

I caught site of Chara as the crowd turned, looking for him as he drew several off, running for a broken down gate across the way. He was thinning them out. I threw a layer of bones down in the crowd, tripping up several of them to thin them out further. Chara dove threw the broken gate, rolling to his feet, and turning to smash the first person in the face with the broken metal. He disappeared behind the wall of the concrete fence next to the gate as people piled through it. I caught sight of him climbing into a tree and he motioned to the gate below. I put a barrier over the gate, trapping the people who'd followed him inside.

Leaping to another tree outside the wall, Chara let himself down through the branches, swinging back and forth to keep from slamming himself on the way down. He hit the ground running, whistling high and piercing to draw the attention of the crowd. A guy who actually knew how to fight grabbed his jacket, swinging him around into a high kick. Chara caught the leg with both hands and rushed the man, shoving his own knee into his face and breaking his nose. I threw down a shower of bones, forcing the crowd to worry about dodging them instead of attacking Chara.

Three men completely ignored the damage the bones caused them to go straight at him. They jumped, ready to pummel, when a large, red bone came out of nowhere and slammed into them, sending them flying. Red, Papyrus the Greater, and Fell Undyne stood with Frisk at the end of the block.

"*i hear that someone is having a party and didn't invite me!"

Undyne's sharp, tooth smile grew huge as she slammed one fist into another. "Now's the time to run, runts! Of course, that just means I just gotta chase ya!"

"We're here for crowd control and containment. If anyone tries to leave, feel free to handle that any way you like so long as they aren't dead when you're done," Frisk said.

"AS YOU WISH." Papyrus rushed into the crowd, a black and red streak of death. People rushed to get out of his way as he took up a position down the other side of the street to block anyone from trying to leave. Several of Undyne's spears shot out of the ground and Undyne ran up and over them to land on the other side of the crowd next to Papyrus. I short cut down from the tree as lines of bones and spears surrounded the crowd, containing them and keeping them herded together.

Red smiled at Chara. "*well now! the big man himself. long time no see."

Chara sighed. "Red."

"*so what's a big shot like you doing in a place like this?" He smiled at me. "*hey, bones."

I gave him a nod.

Chara crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm trying to find out why we have so many portals with this last realignment."

"*and you've got sugar plum here on it, right?"

"She's not my agent, Sans. I can't just order her around."

Frisk chuckled. "You're 01, the head of Site Alpha. I'm pretty sure that means you have Blue's level of ability to order me around."

He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Fuck. I didn't think I was that obvious."

Frisk rolled her eyes. "You came to a unknown timeline alone to investigate a serious, multiple world affecting, anomaly. Blue is the only other person I can think of who would just do that. You're also a terminal user, something I've only seen a Sans do. Not even other Frisks. And the only mention anywhere of a terminal using Chara in Foundation records is a note that one of the Chara's in the Error War used them. If you'd been here with a team, I would have been more likely to second guess my deductions, but everything about you screamed that you were someone of very specific note."

He shrugged.

Frisk smiled. "Frisk Ossein isn't seeing anyone."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? She and her Chara seemed really in sync."

"Nah," I answered. "They're best friends and make a damn good team."

Red snorted. "*so something other than work has finally got your attention? ah man, bud. you gotta watch out. the little prick may not feel that way about her but he'll switch to evil big brother mode in an instant if you aren't careful!"

Multiple people in green Seraph uniforms appeared with containment pods.

Before they could begin, Chara marched on them. "Where the hell where you?! I better have a good explanation for the delay!"

A male Frisk "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! There was a containment breach!"

Chara raised an eyebrow at the man. "And Sophia didn't notify me... why?"

"I told you he wouldn't fall for that!" a monster yelled.

Chara eyed them all. "As soon as we're back on site, we're all going to have a nice long chat about dereliction of duty during an actual crisis. Not only did you show that you couldn't do your job, you made Site Alpha look unprofessional, I had to rely on the help of Site Epsilon. Round up all the off worlders and get them out of here."

"Yes, Sir!"

A beeping came from his terminal and Chara turned, staring at it for a moment. "A new portal! This way!" He was off like a shot, Frisk hot on his heels. Red and I followed, watching as Chara slid to a stop at a street corner and make a turn down another street. Leaping a broken wall, he landed in the remnants of a community park now over grown, the jungle gym rusted. His terminal screen appeared next to him as he slowed to a stop at a doorway in the remains of a shed. He tapped at the terminal without looking at it, before reaching out to touch the doorway. Nothing happened.

"Did we miss it?" Frisk asked.

He shook his head. "No. It's still here and still active. It's blocked. Where ever this goes, nothing can pass either way."

I stared at a barrier that to me was as black as the void. Some dim memory from the past poked at me. "It's a prison," I whispered.

Chara's head whipped around to look at me. "A prison?" He looked at the terminal again, licking his lips. "Oh my God. That makes sense."

He frowned and looked at me again. "Your eye is flickering."

Frisk spun around to look at me. "It is." She reached out and touched my skull. "Bones?"

I looked at her for a moment and then back at the barrier. "It's as if I am gazing at black doorway into nothing."

"Bones?" She sounded frightened.

I looked down at her face and the worry etched into it.

"You're speaking with Wing Ding's voice."

Red's hand came to rest on my spine where my fifth and sixth ribs connected, a strange warmth spreading from his hand before it dropped. "*he's fine, sugar plum. this thing just hit his deep memory."

Chara's red eyes slid over to Frisk. "How fast can you have a research team from Epsilon together to go to Site Alpha?"

"As soon as this world's Asriel is well enough that he can take control, we can be there."

He nodded. "I'll send the equations."


	6. Ep6 Site Alpha, Part 1

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk belongs to ilanitalia! Kris and the Frisk who's sucked up his Toriel's soul belong to SoralTheSol!

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 6 - Site Alpha, Part One  
(Bones is our narrator!)

"WE'RE GOING TO SITE ALPHA! WE'RE GOING TO SITE ALPHA!"

Frisk Ossein was swinging her partner around as she leapt in the air, black hair flying around her.

"Oh my God, Frisk! Settle down!" Fell Chara lost his footing and he tumbled backwards, landing on his backside with a grimace.

"Eep!" Frisk, pulled off her feet, fell forward.

Chara gasped and quickly put his arms up, catching her against his chest. She pushed herself up with a big smile and he sighed, pretending to be exasperated.

"What am I going to do with you?"

She shrugged, smiling. "You're going to play video games with me for Black's Youtube channel."

He groaned at the reminder of the deal they'd made to save an Asriel poisoned by humans.

Frisk put her nose right in his face, inspecting him. "You need a hair cut. You're starting to look too much like your Frisk. Well, except for the color. What color is her hair right now, anyway?"

He raised an eye brow at her. "Various shades of purple."

"Right. But you really need a hair cut."

"So when are you going to give me one?"

Frisk crawled around to sit behind Chara as he sat up. Pulling a hair band from her wrist, she pulled his dark, brown hair back, braiding it, and tying it off. "How about when we get back?" Patting his shoulders for a moment, she used him as a brace to stand, before offering a hand to help him up. My Frisk chuckled a little as she waited for Cross to finish packing his bag. The coordinate equations came directly from 01 just after we'd finished helping Site Alpha remove all the off worlders from the recovering war zone timeline.

D and Papyrus were also packing, though their bag contained copious amounts of sunscreen. They were taking the kids to the islands for the day. It'd be a nice break from the cold weather still holding on despite spring firmly being here according to the calendar. Frisk and Sans Ossein waited on the couch, a beach bag and cooler sitting between them. Verdana and her daughter Abigail waited with them, both excited for a day in the sun.

My Frisk knelt in front of the kids as C burst to life on her shoulder. "You'll be heading to the beach on a different timeline today. You'll have a science lesson with Dr. Lucida Gaster and an art lesson with His Majesty, King Asgore Dreemurr. After that, you'll be having fun in the sun. The rules for Chara may be different on that timeline, so it might be that only Frisk, Mrs. Ossein, and that timeline's Monster Frisk will be able to see them. Now remember, on that timeline, Flowey is not Asriel stuck in a flower body. He's just a regular flower monster. There is, in fact, no Asriel there at all. If you see a short, white haired woman with red eyes, that's Queen Toriel. Be very respectful to her. She's not the motherly presence you know. Her people have nicknamed her 'The Devil,' and for good reason."

Sophia and Brandon rolled their eyes, but the lecture wasn't for them. It was for Princess Frisk and their ghostly Chara. Speaking of the Princess, they motioned to their body before picking up a pen and paper and writing down what they had to say. They handed the paper to Frisk.

'I'm not comfortable wearing a bathing suit.'

Frisk nodded. "I understand. I'm not either. That's why I bought you a rash guard." Frisk opened the bag she was holding and lifted a baby blue and white bathing suit that looked like a shirt and pair of shorts. White and blue hibiscus flowers were stenciled all over it. Princess gasped with excitement and hopped in place, hands on their round cheeks.

Sophia elbowed them. "Didn't I tell you mom would have it covered? It's not like she enjoys showing off her scars either."

Princess swiftly hugged Frisk around the waist, pressing their face against her stomach. Frisk hugged them back before handing them the bag.

The ghostly Chara stared at C for a long moment.

C rolled his eyes. "Just spit it out, kid."

They frowned, huffing. "How do you do it? How do you just live in your Frisk's head? Being in mine is not... comfortable."

C shrugged. "I have always lived in the castle."

D's jaw dropped open while Papyrus covered his mouth with a boney hand. Cross let out a loud cackle from the kitchen. I squeezed my eye sockets shut, refusing to laugh.

Frisk's head snapped towards C. "You take that back!"

Vivi and Ravie's father gently elbowed his chuckling wife. "*You're going to have to explain that one to me."

C laughed at Frisk while the ghost looked between us all, confused. Choking back a giggle, C waved her off to turn back to Chara. "It's a literary reference." He smiled. "Frisk's head is a warm cabin in the woods, and it sits on top of a hill overlooking a vast ocean. I've even got my own room." He frowned. "Isn't there anything like that in your Frisk's head?"

Chara shook his ghostly head. "Besides a meadow, it's nothing but a black void of overwhelming sensation."

Frisk's blue eyes settled on Princess. "Have you mentioned that to the therapist?"

They shook their head.

"Does the creature in your head attack you in the meadow?"

They nodded.

Frisk pulled out her phone, texting the Frisk who was handling Princess' therapy. "A nine year old should have a fantastic world in her head, not a black emptiness. But even more importantly, you need to develop a safe place in your head. A place your shared fears do not reach you." Those blue eyes turned to me. "Az isn't coming, is he?"

"He said he has a ton of work to do in the lab so he needs to stay behind."

"So the head of Site Epsilon is going to miss going to Alpha?" She rolled her eyes and then fixed me with a look. "Is something going on?"

I shrugged. "He looked like he was ready to throw down on the training floor rather than do lab work, but Fell Asriel was hanging with him, so they might be training together later."

She nodded and knelt to give the kids hugs.

Princess held up a note. 'Is that your safe place? A cabin in the woods?'

Frisk nodded. "Remember the cabin by the lake?"

The kid smiled and nodded.

"That's the place in my head. The therapist will help you construct a place for yourself, though you don't have to base it on anything real."

Princess nodded.

Frisk hugged Sophia and Brandon. "Be good today. Dad and I will be back soon." She looked up at Cross as she stood. "Ready?"

Cross shouldered his bag. "Ready."

Ossein quickly went over to Sans and kissed him on the top of the skull. "Bye, Dad. Bye, Mom. Later Vivi and Abi!"

Sans smiled, patting her head while she was still leaning over him. I don't remember exactly when she'd gone from calling the Ossein's by name to 'mom' and 'dad,' but the change over had come naturally with Vivi and Ravie treating her like their younger sister. Another example of every Sans fitting every Frisk into the most appropriate place in their lives and vice versa; the baby bones phenomenon working on Verdana and Ravie.

Cross followed Frisk out the door. As soon as it shut, he rolled his shoulders. "I've got that itch."

"You too?" Frisk frowned. "And I thought for sure it was just me being paranoid."

"I told D and Sans to keep the kids at the islands until either of us called for them to come home."

Frisk nodded once before heading down the stairs. Ossein waited until everyone was at the bottom before hopping on the banister and sliding down. Fell Frisk, hair several different kinds of purple waited at the bottom of the stairs with Agent Tahoma. Baby Amara strapped to her chest, Frisk gave us a wave before taking her Chara's hand.

Lily wrapped her arm in my Frisk's, holding on tightly. "I hope you don't mind if I cling to you for this."

Frisk pulled her close. "You always cling to me for teleports, Lily. I'm used to it."

"Weak, Lily. Weak." Chara commented.

"Bite me, Cross."

Cross threw up his hands. "That wasn't me!"

Agent Tahoma looked at him. "I know. I'm just insulting you."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh. The normal fair." He looked her dead on. "Church's Mom."

Frisk looked back at him. "Hey! You be nice. Mom actually likes you."

Lily jumped back in. "Yeah. God only knows why, right?"

I eyed them all with a wry smile. "Just get into formation." I sidled up to Frisk's other side and slid my arm around her waist. The equations had been buzzing around in my head for a while now and I let the numbers fall into place, solving for Site Alpha. In a flash we stood in the middle of a wide field of green grass that seemed to go on forever. Just green and blue sky as far as we could see.

"That was different." Lily looked around. "No void travel?"

I shook my skull. "The equation was specific for instant teleport. It was designed to prevent us from seeing where Site Alpha is in the void."

"Which way from here?" C asked.

I pulled out a compass. "Chara said to head directly west from the landing zone. He said we'll be walking for about ten minutes depending on how fast we hoof it."

Ossein ran ahead of me. Her exemplar, Crow, floated behind her, as curious as he was protective. Crow, when Ossein had first come to stay with us, wasn't really a person, but the physical manifestation of her Determination. Which was completely different from the other Frisks and Charas who toted exemplars. Their summon-able battle partners were all humans or boss monsters who chose to remain with them after death to protect them. But recently Crow had developed a personality of his own. Silent and stoic, he often acted independently of his summoner like a true exemplar. While Ossein wasn't bothered by it at all, several of us, her partner especially, were beginning to wonder if some soul had become attached to her from some past mission. He didn't seem any less devoted, but the change was concerning. We followed her exuberant trot west.

My Sunflower's gaze was on the ground and when I looked down, I found the grass bent from others having been here and headed in the same direction.

"So why not just teleport to the site directly?" Lily asked.

"Remember the Chara we found who'd been at Site Alpha? She described the place as being something of a prison. That's probably why," Frisk answered. "It's likely a safety measure."

As we walked, there was no way you would fail to notice the curve of the ground. We were walking over a long hill with a high but gradual incline. And when we reached the crest, we saw it: a massive fortress in a dark gray. A steel reinforced, concrete wall with buttresses greeted us at the front and guarded an entrance that dug into the mountain behind it. Large turrets manned by humans and monsters watched over the wall and the grounds. Over the massive door way was the Seraph Foundation symbol, a Gaster Blaster skull over a Delta Rune.

"That's so cool!" Ossein turned on her heel. "What took you so long?"

"Not all of us are made to run, Shooting Star," Chara said.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh bull! You're faster than me. Come on. I want to see this place!" We followed her down the hill and to the road that led to the entrance. The massive doors were open, leading into an open courtyard.

A skeleton monster stood at the entrance with a clip board. He barely looked at us. "Names."

"Agents Lucida, Latha, Aster, Serif, Tahoma, Idlewild, and Her Majesty Frisk Lucida Gaster ap Dreemurr of Underfell." Ossein droned off.

The skeleton glanced up at us for a moment before his skull came right back up, staring at Frisk. "Jesus! Would you look at that LOVE!" He caught site of Cross and grabbed at his sternum. "You're even worse!" He looked at me. "I don't care if they're reformed, I'm not letting successful no mercy runners in here."

Frisk and Cross high fived. "Yes! Day off!"

"Oh, no you don't!" King Chara yelled. He grabbed the clip board from the skeleton and smacked him up the back side of the skull with it. "They're the Site Epsilon agents, you moron. How do you not know their call signs? Christ. You let Provost in here with out even checking her LOVE." He looked at Frisk and Cross. "Get your asses in here."

Frisk pouted and Cross pretended to be sad about the turn of events before heading inside.

As the others walked in, Chara shook hands with Lily. "Long time no see. Did you ever manage to get information out of James' double?"

Cross shook his head. "Only that he walked out of a tent in a refugee camp and was suddenly in a completely different place. We sent him home just after that."

"How are you doing, Lily?"

"The same. Really interested to do the cataloging work on this." She looked around the open yard.

His Majesty leaned in. "Don't say that too loud. We really need an archivist to help us and the last thing you want is to be stuck in this dump." He waved us along. "Where's my 'other' brother?"

"Waiting on a bunch of stuff in the incubator. So what gives, Your Majesty? Why the sudden, 'Everyone come to the second biggest secret place in the universe!' party?" Ossein asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl who just hangs out at the biggest secret place in the galaxy." He shook his head with a smile. "The big man says he only wants to explain it once, so until you're all in there, none of us know." He huffed and eyed my wife. "Then again, I bet you have a really good idea."

She smiled. "So does my husband. And so does Red. He was with us when we caught the anomaly."

He sighed. "Figures."

Once inside the courtyard, we were treated to a beautiful, glass front building decorated with stained glass of reds, oranges, and yellows in a geometric pattern reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright. Chara led us through a door in that glass and into an open lobby area filled with agents from all over the multiverse. Frisk and I waved to a few people we knew as we walked through the lobby. Going up a flight of stairs to a mezzanine led to a wood paneled hallway off the right. Chara directed us into a conference room.

The large room contained a massive, oval conference table with multiple black seats off setting the red stain on the table. A skylight in the ceiling revealed the side of the mountain above us, dark green with the full light of summer shining through. Red and White were already there with our surfer Papyrus. White's Frisk sat next to him. Blue sat in a chair at the end of the table, snoozing away quietly.

"Wahini!"

Fell Frisk ran to Papyrus for hugs, pulling the sling to the side so he could coo over baby Amara.

As they all started talking, I followed King Chara back out the door.

C popped up on my shoulder. "Sneaking off?"

"Just wanted a look at the place." I stepped out of the wood paneled hallway and into a nondescript, gray hall of concrete.

"You should see it from my view. While it looks big on the outside, the inside legitimately terrifies me. It's a massive complex extending through and out the other side of the mountain as well as containing multiple basement levels. The Chara we'd found a few months ago was very accurate in her description. This place is part prison and part vault, though it seems that some of the imprisoned have more free reign than others. Several inmates wander around. And then you have the people who legitimately live here. Their homes face the light on the other side of the mountain, which has just as massive a wall as the one we came through."

Walking along a hall filled with the cells of inmates, I stopped to have a look in a containment area that held a very large, full body, Gaster Blaster. Just from what I could see from the door, it's head would have been to big to fit through. It appeared to be sleeping, the massive skull resting on a floor that was covered in a soft, green moss. I watched for a moment or two before turning away.

A deep, resounding voice echoed through the chamber. "*hello, sans."

Huh. He's awake. That's some great playing possum there. "Hey, man. What'd you do to earn yourself detention."

"*i ate frisk."

C grimaced. I snorted.

That deep voice chuckled. "*sorry. it was a poor joke." I had a vague impression that the body had moved, but it also appeared to be in the same position. "*when a sans absorbs a soul other than their frisk's, this kind of body tends to be the result."

I frowned. I'd thought when a similar transformation had happened to me a few years ago, it was because I had been on Iris' timeline instead of my own. Did this mean a Sans' soul was only prepared to house a Frisk's?

"*i absorbed chara's soul in order to stop them from completely annihilating the underground. instead, it crashed my timeline and left me with a serious case of dr. jekyll and mr. hyde."

"So what happened to Frisk?"

"*i don't know. i joked earlier, but wouldn't it just be my luck that i did eat the kid?" It fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. "*which sans are you?"

"Bones."

"*really? the big bone, himself? well. you have the gaster possession problem, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"*be careful as you roam around. there's a couple solid gasters in here who can shift to incorporeal and you'll make a nice target for them."

"Got it."

It stopped speaking and I watched it for a while, wondering if it was asleep. I felt a tug and turned only to almost smack into a girl. Scratch that. A robot about four foot tall that looked like a girl, complete with adorable little dress and metal pig tails.

She smiled brightly at me as a voice as sweet as sugar flowed from her mouth. "Oh! A Gaster Sans! You should really be careful in here. We've got a couple Gasters who don't know how to keep their holey hands to themselves."

"I've been warned. And you are...?"

"I am the Series One Prototype Hyper Intelligence Array. But you can call me Sophia. I run the Site Alpha computer systems."

I smiled. "My daughter is named Sophia. I'm Agent Aster from Site Epsilon."

"You're Bones? That would make you, C, right? That's amazing!"

C sat down on my shoulder. "It is?"

"You and your Frisk are all sorts of legendary! Frisk came with you, right?"

I nodded.

"Oh, that's so cool!"

I smiled and leaned against the wall with my arms crossed over my rib cage. "What makes us so cool?"

"You mean besides taking down Midnight Collapse? Well, you're the one who first posited the quantum travel we now use to get across the void. Before you, we were using super inefficient modes of travel. And you're the only Gaster Sans on record who can successfully kick an invading Gaster out of your head. Even the original variation can't do that." She pointed at C. "You are the only A.I. Chara that can spread his consciousness across timelines to work in two places at once. You're able to activate the appropriate skills in Frisk's LV without releasing it. And not only is your Frisk the best investigator in all of the Seraph Foundation, she's also the most bad ass!" She stopped for a moment. "That's actually why you were all called here. You should hurry back. 01 is ready to brief you."

I nodded. "It was nice to meet you, Sophia."

"And you! Please enjoy your time here at Site Alpha!"

C disappeared from my shoulder and I headed back to the conference room. In the hall outside the room, Frisk Provost, from the colony ship Delta, stood with her Sans, his boney feet still bare despite being in his New Home Police hoodie. She gave me a smile when she saw me, eyes red purple, hand resting on her large, round belly.

"Hello, Bones!"

"Hey there, Frisk! Congratulations."

She smiled brightly, positively glowing. "Thank you. So what's the occasion? Sans says this is a really big deal."

I nodded. "We think we have a bead on why people are randomly jumping from one timeline to another. How bad has the situation been for you on the Delta?"

"*with two notable exceptions, the delta's managed to avoid the worst of it. and in both cases we were able to isolate and get the people home very quickly."

I opened the door to the room and gestured for Provost to go first.

As soon as she walked in, Ossein squealed loudly. "Oh my gosh! Frisk!" She jumped out of her seat to hug Provost.

Red chuckled. "*hey there, osiris! how the hell are ya?"

"Very pregnant."

"*well congratulations! who's the father?"

Provost face palmed while the assembled laughed. She took a seat next to my wife with a sigh, eyes yellow green. Fell Chara came in the room, having left it sometime after me. He sat between his two Frisk's.

"*hey, prick. osiris is having a baby."

Chara smiled at her. "Really? Congratulations, Frisk! Who's the father?"

Provost's head hit the table while Frisk patted her shoulder.

Ossein shook her head. "Wait. Aren't you in your sixties? How are you having children?"

Provost lifted her head and she sat back. "Humans on my timeline broke the 'hundred year' barrier long before I was born. The average life expectancy of a human from my timeline is 180-200 years."

Papyrus whistled long and low. "What modern miracle allowed that to happen?"

Provost shrugged. "You know? I honestly don't know. By the time I was in grade school, people living to 200 was normal so I don't even remember it being covered in any science or health class."

Fell Frisk handed a sleepy Amara off to her Chara and tiptoed up to Blue where he snoozed in his chair. She poked him a few times before pulling a marker from her pocket. She carefully leaned in, adding dots and lines to his sleeping skull. 01, the Terminal Chara we'd met only a short time ago, walked up to Frisk and shooed her away. Snorting at Blue's 'sugar skull,' he toed the locks on the chair's wheels, releasing them. He then kicked the chair, sending it flying down the long room. Blue disappeared from the chair before it crashed into a wall to appear next to the man. The entire room went silent, all eyes front.

"*someone's cruisin' for a bad time."

"Can it, Comedian. It's time to get this show on the road. We have a lot to do today." The man reached into the air and pulled down a holographic terminal interface similar to what Fase and C used, but this was solid to his touch.

"Holy Fuck, a Terminal Chara," Papyrus breathed as he sat forward, interested beyond belief.

Chara turned to us. "Welcome to Site Alpha. I'm Chara Dreemurr. And I'm 01." He smirked at Colony Sans' dropped jaw.. "Didn't see that one coming, did ya?"

"*cheeky brat," Red snorted.

He chuckled while sitting down. "For the first 200 years of the Seraph Foundation's existence, everything was run out of Site Alpha. As other Foundation sites came online and the original staff began to retire, Site Alpha was converted from active anomaly hunting to containment. Items that threaten the multiverse on a large scale that cannot be destroyed and persons that cannot be dissuaded from their course of action are retrieved and contained at Site Alpha."

Papyrus leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. "If that's the case, why didn't you go after Cross?"

"They did," Cross answered. "Ten different times with seven different teams." He smiled vindictively at Chara. "What made you give up? The last one was actually a challenge."

Chara glared at him. "Agent 31 was the reason we gave up. After the tenth failure, I consulted with Blue and abandoned any more attempts in favor of letting Epsilon handle you. Instead, our teams turned to recovery of stolen materials and kidnapped persons." He smiled again. "And I recall making such a mess of your strongholds that you were forced into one location."

Cross shrugged.

Chara rolled his eyes.

"So what happened to Agent 31?" Frisk asked.

Cross frowned. "He hurt Papyrus."

Several of us sucked in a pained breath while others cringed. No other explanation required.

"Why us?" White asked.

Chara blinked at him. "Seriously? In the Foundation's entire history, we've never had a group even half as effective as Epsilon. How do you not know that?"

White smiled. "I know that. I just like to hear it said. So what's going on?"

"You are just as annoying as your original variation," Chara grumbled. He tapped something on his terminal and a screen came over the sky light, darkening the room. A large hologram of the void and all timelines appeared around us. "Every a hundred years or so, Prime reorients itself in the cosmos and that reorders all other timelines. When that happens, timelines line up and sometimes, people cross timelines. Typically, this happens and one hundred people tops need to be taken back home. This time, we've had almost a thousand people. Something is making the timelines line up."

He nodded toward my Sunflower. "On a timeline that was consistently lining up with others, we found a portal that was blocked from either side. Bones surmised that it was a prison and I agree. Something is trapped somewhere and it wants out. I called you all here to help me figure out what it is and whether or not it's something we should let out."

White raised an eyebrow. "So that's it? You didn't need to call us all out to Alpha just to give us an assignment."

"I called you here because Site Alpha keeps all records on every anomalous person, place, thing, or event on premises. You're going to need to be here to go through it all because I am not asshole enough to make Fase process it."

"*at least we can narrow it down to person or thing imprisoned," Blue added.

Chara nodded. "Yes. That's still a lot of data. Sophia's set everything up for us. Paper and electronic files are in the another conference room. Detainees on premises that might have information are ready for interview. You're all welcome to dig through any and all of it, though Bones will need to avoid the Gaster's marked in red on the list. They can go incorporeal and will attempt to take you over. I know that you have the ability to kick them out, but it's better to avoid the situation all together. It's hard enough to keep them in containment as it is."

"Why not just be rid of them for good? In fact, why detain people here at all?" Papyrus asked.

"You mean besides the massive uptick in LOVE multiple people would need to take?" Chara shook his head. "More than half of the people here stay of their own free will and others simply can't be destroyed. That doesn't mean a few past detainees haven't met with death during a breach." He stood, fingers tapping his terminal. The hologram disappeared and the shade retracted from the sky light. "Follow me."

We stood, following him out the door.

White looked around appreciatively as we went down a set of stairs and into a long white hallway that opened up into a large gallery decorated in the same geometric stained glass motif as the entrance. "Have you ever gotten lost in your own building?"

"After construction was finished, yes. Multiple times. It's why I created Sophia. She's the A.I. that runs the building. She does have a mechanical body, so if you see a robotic little girl running around, that's her."

"How often do you deal with escape attempts?" Papyrus asked.

Chara shrugged. "Attempts? About once every two months. Actual breaches? Once in a blue moon. A big Sans stuck in a massive bone blaster form is the main culprit for breaches, though that's the Chara his soul is housing. I've spent the better part of the last fifty years trying to figure out how to separate their souls."

"How old are you?"

He frowned, annoyed. "I lost count after three hundred. Any other questions?"

Ossein waved her arm in the air wildly. "Yeah! How'd you end up as 01?"

Chara looked at her and blinked, annoyance falling away as his cheeks flushed. "When I discovered my ability to use the terminals, it drew Error's attention and dragged my timeline into the war. After the final battle, Blue approached me about creating Seraph."

She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. "No. I want the whole story. Where's your Sans?"

He smiled. "My Sans is likely napping in the main control room, like the lazy bones he is." He gestured to a room on the left. "As I mentioned before, there isn't a Frisk on my timeline." He rubbed at the back of his neck like he wasn't comfortable, but wasn't going to dodge the question. "I jumped in the hole on Mount Ebott looking to end my life when I was thirteen years old. Asriel found me and I was adopted into the Dreemurr family. Mom and Dad recognized that something was very wrong with me to start and I was put into therapy. Time went on, I got better, and six others fell into the Underground. We opened the barrier."

Frisk smiled at him, happy to have gotten an answer. "How do you do the terminal thing? It's pretty sweet."

White elbowed my girl, pointing at Chara with a smile. She nodded.

His cheeks flushed and he looked away. "My Sans is a Terminal Sans. He told me that I wouldn't be able to use them and I took that as a challenge. It took me several years of trying before I managed open my first one." He became serious suddenly. "The first thing I did when I learned I could use the terminals was alter my own code to leave me the same age perpetually. I just didn't want my sister to be crushed when I died long before her. The anomalous activity drew Error's attention and dragged us into the first war. When Error withdrew, Blue proposed the creation of the Foundation."

"Your Asriel's a girl?"

He nodded. Those red eyes found Ossein again. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Well, yeah. Lots!" She smiled brightly. "But I'm good for now."

My wife put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

Red leaned over to whisper. "*think we should leave them alone?"

"Absolutely not. I don't trust him," Fell Chara snorted, but his amused smile gave him away.

Ossein looked at both of them as her partner handed her baby Amara. She snuggled the child close. "What?"

Frisk waved her off. "We have work to do."

You wouldn't have known that by the way our host smiled at seeing the object of his affection cudding a baby. Damn, but Fell Chara really took after Red sometimes when it came to being a magnificent bastard. We were led into a conference room next to the main control room. Inside, a female Frisk and a tall human male, both in green Seraph uniforms, organized large file boxes filled with papers.

Chara gestured to the agents. "That's Frisk, obviously. That asshole over there is my brother in law, Kris."

The man snorted. "Yeah, I love you too, Chara. We've finished organizing the boxes. When any of you are ready to go talk to the residents who might be able to help, just say so. Frisk and I will help you get around."

Red elbowed Chara. "*ah. did your sister force you to hire your brother in law?"

"Nope. I hired him first. If I'd known this would be the result, I would have taken the hit to my LOVE instead."

Kris rolled his eyes. "You're just pissed that you didn't put me in charge of retrieval for the post world war three timeline. I told you Gibbins was a lazy prat."

A wicked smiled curved Chara's lips. "Are you saying I can schedule you on your days off? Because I am willing to work you to death if you'll let me."

Fell Frisk pointed to the boxes, changing the subject. "Which set is specific to trapped persons or monsters who are also cosmologists?"

The female Frisk pulled a box from the far end of the table. "This one. It includes cosmologists who are science based and ones who are magic based."

White put an arm around her. "Have an idea already?"

She nodded, purple hair bouncing around her head. "Something is strong enough to move timelines around but not strong enough to defeat it's prison. That narrows this down even further." She looked at Blue. "Have you asked Error if he knows what this is?"

Blue shrugged. "*he told me he'd seen one of the prisons before but thought it was a grave of some sort before he kicked me out of the anti-void."

"Huh." Chara pulled down a terminal and hit a button. "Sophia? Is Error Chara on premises?"

Everyone stopped dead and looked at him.

The sugary sweet voice came through the terminal. "No, Sir. Shall I send him to you if he checks in?"

"Please." The terminal disappeared.

Papyrus stared at him. "There's an Error Chara."

He nodded. "He's one of my agents. He was one of the first anomalies the Foundation picked up. We aren't sure how he was created, but he's at least as old as Error. He actually does the job Error was supposed to be doing from the start: fixing anomalies."

"And you trust him?"

He snorted. "I know when I can trust me."

Frisk tapped my shoulder. "Bones, Ossein, Chara, Papyrus, Sans, Red..." She pointed to White's little brother. "And Frisk. You're on rest of us will dig through the boxes."

Ossein looked down at the baby nuzzling against her. "Oh! Frisk? Amara's rooting." She handed the baby back to her mother before looking at Kris. "Lead on!"

He nodded and led us into the hall. I gave White a quick, threatening look and he rolled his eyes at me. Kris led us out of the gallery area and down two flights of stairs to another large gallery with a mezzanine lining the second floor the entire way around. The lighting combined with green carpeting and many raised gardens of shrubs and flowers gave the impression of being outside despite being under ground. Two groups of children of various ages sat in circles with Foundation agents in uniform while older teens sat with lap desks doing school work. Humans and monsters who were obviously detainees roamed the area as well, occasionally helping the children.

Ossein looked around, spinning on her heel. "You run a school in here?"

"Have too. A good chunk of the anomalous humans and monsters are children and several of the Foundation members who live on premises have their children educated here as well. It works out pretty well since it provides them all with lots of group interaction. Several of the adult detainees spend time with the children as well."

"So do you have a classification system for how dangerous any particular person or thing is?"

Kris nodded. "Oh yeah. It's a simple system based on how dangerous the anomalous occurrence the person or item produces and whether or not the occurrence can be nullified. After that, willingness to remain in the nullified state determines degree of containment." He pointed to a Toriel sitting with some children, reading them a book, whose horns were covered in glittering gems and gold rings. "Tori over there? Her horns allow her to pick up radio signals from what ever timeline she's on and she hears them all as disembodied voices in real time. It's a complete cacophony in her head. The condition drove her completely insane and she killed both Asriel and Chara. She was banished by Asgore to the Ruins, were she only grew worse. We picked her up before she killed her Frisk. The jewelry on her horns actually counters the condition but only works on this timeline, so she lives here and after a long while in therapy is considered safe to be around children." Someone caught his eye and he waved. "Hey, Mark! They're ready!"

"Great! The first group is ready. This way please."

"So do you and your brother in law really hate each other?"

"Nah. Chara and I have always been bitchy to each other." He smiled. "It's why he hired me. I didn't hold back on telling him what I thought about anything."

I looked around. "Did the Frisk you were working with stay behind?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He'll help the rest of your group get around the facility."

"He? Uh... Did I miss something? Because that Frisk was definitely a girl," Ossein said.

"Ooooooh. No. That Frisk isn't female. That Frisk sucked up his Toriel's soul and, well, they've been unable to separate. As time went on, he's developed a feminine appearance."

"Huh. Wow. Are there any Frisk's or Chara's who are clones?"

A teen Frisk sitting with a lap desk looked up. "I'm a clone of my Chara."

I chuckled. "Ask and you shall receive."

We were led into a room that was obviously used as a classroom, but instead of individual desks, two long tables with chairs made up the room. Waiting for us was a dog monster, a human male who looked to be in his twenties with distinctive red eyes, and a Flowey sitting in a flower pot. They stood to shake hands with the exception of Flowey, who waved his leaves at us apologetically.

"Delicate leaves?" White's little brother asked.

Flowey shook his petaled face. "Ah. No. If I touch a human or monster with flesh, I automatically attach to them and take over their circulatory system, feeding off of the nutrients in their blood until they remove me, typically by amputation, or they die."

Frisk took a seat. "Yikes."

"It's an automatic response. Either something Alphys did or was intrinsic to the plant I come from. Maybe both. My Frisk is the only one who can tolerate it and she's the only one I can detach from on my own once attached." He shrugged. "She's out there with the rest of kids for her lessons."

"And you two? What landed you here?"

The dog monster spoke up first. "I'm Max, a video game developer, and whenever I make a world for a game, it becomes a real life dimension. I stay here because no matter where I go, someone finds out about it and will force me to create so they can use the dimension for their own purposes."

Frisk nodded and looked to the young man. "You aren't a Chara, but you've got the eyes. A relation?"

He nodded. "I'm David, the only son of Frisk and Chara Dreemurr from my timeline. I got Mom's eyes." He sat up. "I can just decide to go to another timeline, open a door, and walk right across like the void isn't even there."

"But you know it's there," I stated.

He nodded. "Yeah. My timeline's Sans is a Seraph agent. It's where I got the idea to start. Went to a Star Wars style timeline when I was eleven. Sans Solo picked me up and dropped me back home. Since then, I ran into people who kept trying to use me to go to other timelines. I got smart to it pretty quick and would just drop them in awful places, like horror and fell timelines. So to guarantee good results, they would kidnap someone I cared about." He shrugged. "So here I am."

Frisk nodded. "We have a problem in which there is someone or something moving timelines around, lining them up to create portals. Does that ring a bell for anyone?"

Flowey spoke up first. "My Sans could move timelines around. It's a complicated procedure and one that took him several days to complete the work for. He stopped using the process when he got a really, strange black and green badge that let him travel to other timelines."

"Is he an agent?"

"He was."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Flowey shrugged. "He was never my favorite person." He smiled darkly. "I'm sure you can understand why."

The dog monster, Max, picked up after him. "I can use my ability to program video games to line up timelines. You still have to walk through the video game world I create, but you can go from one place to another."

Red looked at me before looking back at the dog. "*that's pretty impressive. have you encountered anyone else that can do the same thing?"

He shook his head. "No. But people can enter a world I create from the other end and have used it to make a game world their own."

"Twilight of the Vampire Illuminati?" Ossein asked.

Max groaned miserably. "I am ashamed to say that piece of trash is my fault. But I swear I was forced to do it."

"It's how we were finally able to find him," Kris added.

"I've run into a few barriers while attempting to cross timelines," David said. "There are some timelines that are completely cut off from travel. Especially timelines with Sans-es that like their privacy. The barrier you found may be a Sans just keeping his timeline on lock down."

I shook my skull. "I saw the barrier. It was a prison. Have you ever run into anything like that?"

Flowey tapped the ends of his leaves together. "Yeah. It's why I refer to my Sans in the past tense. He said he found a barrier in the void, but there didn't seem to be a timeline attached to the barrier. He went to investigate it and never returned."

"*how long ago? *did he leave any records of where he went? coordinates?"

Flowey shook his head. "He left a little before the current realignment. I don't know if he left any records. You could check his workshop."

"If he left before the current realignment, you couldn't have been here long."

The flower sighed. "Yeah. Sans was the one responsible for my Frisk and I can't care for a little kid like this when I need them for my own continued existence. I used his phone to call Fase for help."

Chara nodded and nudged his partner. "The workshop would be worth checking out."

"*you kids want to do that?"

Ossein nodded. "Totally."

Mark nodded. "I've got the equations you'll need. You'll need to head off premises for the teleport. Do you have any more questions for this group?"

I looked to the others. They shook their heads.

"All right. Thank you for your time."

As David picked up Flowey's pot and followed Max out the door, Red looked at me. "*i'm betting the flower's sans woke this thing up."

White's Frisk jerked on his sleeve. "Any ideas on how?"

Red shook his skull. "He might have poked the prison enough."

Mark looked to me. "The next group consists of two Gasters and you'll not want to be in here. One of them will attempt to take you over. You'll be able to watch the proceedings from the room over here." He directed me into the next room were we could watch the interview on a screen.

Two Gasters entered the room. One was ghostly, multiple hands floating around her broken skull as she floated to a chair. She only appeared to sit, being too insubstantial to do otherwise. The disembodied hands flew from around her head to shake with everyone, Ossein looking particularly amused with the action. The other was well dressed in a dark vest over a white button down and dark slacks, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up like he was pulled from work. He wore black gloves over his hands. While he shook hands with everyone and smiled amiably, the tenseness of the actions revealed his annoyance at having been interrupted for something he considered beneath his notice.

"So why isn't the ghostly one taking over the other if she's such a danger?"

Mark snorted. "Oh. She isn't the problem. It's the other one. He can go incorporeal in an instant and take over other Gasters and Gaster Sans-es in the blink of an eye. Provided they have a physical body. She's in no danger from him."

The ghostly Gaster opened her mouth, but paused for a moment before speaking. When her voice came, it was as ethereal and otherworldly as mine was when I was more Dings than myself. "WhAt queSTions do yOU have FOr uS?" She was making an effort to avoid Gaster speak.

Frisk shook his head with a smile. "You can speak normally for us. We can understand you."

That caught both of their attentions. The annoyance in the male immediately melted away. He sat forward, hands clasped in front of him on the table, very suddenly, and very deeply, interested.

Red got straight to it. "*have either of you ever found a prison in the void?"

"There are many prisons in the void," the female whispered. "Black pieces of infinite darkness created long ago. They are from a time before the first Error war. They are not meant to be opened."

"Is there someone inside one of those prisons that can move timelines around and line them up at will?" Chara asked.

Mark was suddenly in front of me, looking at my eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"Your eye. Your eye is flickering blue."

I raised a brow bone. "It is?"

"Your voice changed too. You sound like them." Mark stepped back. "Oh hell. Some Gaster's breached containment."

I shook my skull. "No. This happened when we found the prison." I gestured to the screen. "The other doctor's. Their eyes are flickering as well."

The male Gaster blinked a few times, his eye flickering an interesting blue green. "I... I don't remember." He frowned and looked to the female. "I remember the prisons. I remember their creation. I remember who we put in..."

"ThERe iS a HoLE in My meMOrY."

The three of us said it in unison.

XXX

Author's Note: The entire 'Who's the father?" scene was one that my Aunt LeeAnn and Uncle Jim pulled on me when I told them I was pregnant with my daughter. And, just like Frisk Provost, they knew damn well who the father was! XD


	7. Ep 7 Site Alpha, Part 2

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk belongs to ilanitalia! Kris and the Frisk who's sucked up his Toriel's soul belong to SoralTheSol!

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 6 - Site Alpha, Part Two  
(Bones is our narrator!)

I stumbled and caught myself on the wall, leaning against it for support. I was trying to remember something. Prisons. Dark voids of nothingness. Death? Death was not a possibility. Only imprisonment.

I slid down the wall to sit. I looked down at myself. I wasn't in my lab coat. I wasn't in my lab. Where was I? Where was my favorite test subject? Where was my wife, my Sunflower? Where was she?

People were standing over me. Someone knelt in front of me, but it wasn't her. It wasn't my love. Where was she? Had it taken her away too? I covered my eye sockets with one boney hand, not wanting to look up.

A female voice. High in pitch, lacking in subtlety. "Woah. That's some serious Gaster speak going on there! He even sounds like one right now. Keeps saying something over and over... Sunflower?"

A deep voice. Gruff but friendly. "*it's what he calls sugar puss when they're alone." The owner of the voice had an arm around me and lifted me to my feet. "*got a place where he and his frisk can be alone for a bit?"

She's somewhere close? She's safe?

Male voice. Too nondescript. "Yeah. Follow me."

I don't know where I was led. I didn't look. I just wanted Frisk. Where was she?

I heard children playing. Sophia? Brandon? No. I didn't hear their voices in the crush. I gripped the arm helping me along.

"*it's okay. your kids are safe, bud."

Had I been speaking?

A door opened and I was sat on a couch.

A gasp. "Bones!"

A soft hand touched the face of my skull and I nuzzled against it without thinking. Frisk. My Sunflower was here.

"What happened?"

I relaxed, letting my hand drop. I stared at her, the softness of her brown hair, the blue of her eyes, the roundness of her cheeks.

"*i don't know, but it was the exact same thing that happened to the other two gasters."

She frowned. "Tell your little sister to narrow her search down to imprisoned Gasters. I'll head back after Bones is back together."

"*take your time, sugar plum."

The door clicked shut and I pulled her into my arms, tucking her head under my chin, needing her close.

"Bones?"

Bones. I smiled. Such an appropriate name.

"Sans?"

I felt a twitch in my visible eye and held her tightly. "I apologize. I simply need a moment. I was caught in some old memory."

"Wing Dings." She relaxed against me, but seemed agitated. "We aren't in your lab right now. You were calling for me. Do you remember where you are?"

"We're at Site Alpha."

Some quality in my voice must have changed because Frisk sat up so fast it startled me. She looked me in the eye for a moment, before pulling my sweater up, a hand reaching into my rib cage.

I sighed, gently taking her hand in mine and pulling my sweater back down. "Allow me." I drew out my soul, letting her have what she'd been reaching for.

Hesitating for a moment, Frisk gently ran a finger along the edge before cupping my soul in both hands. My bones warmed and I sighed deeply as a thrum went up my spine. I let my skull rest against her head, breathing slowly to calm the sensation, careful to keep my hands from straying.

Frisk frowned, eyes filled with worry. "The division. The part of your soul that was the remains of Dr. Gaster... It's gone. It's..." She looked up at me, panicked. "What happened to Wing Dings?"

I cupped her hands with mine before pushing the fingers of her right hand into my soul. The sharp twinge at the rushed contact subsided immediately, my soul recognizing the touch of my chosen, the one who's soul had most intimately touched mine. I shuddered and pulled my hands away only wrap my arms around her.

"It's fully integrated. Like you aren't two people anymore." Frisk blanched, eyes wide with horror. "Does that mean that you remember...?"

I smiled. "All the time we've spent in my Lab. Yes."

She froze in place, absolutely at a loss as to what to do. "Oh my God."

I chuckled as my soul returned to my body. "This from the woman who constantly tells me it's fine after we leave the Core. Well, Sunflower, it's fine." I pulled her to me, the warm hum still in my bones. "Did you really think that spending time with me in the lab somehow counted as cheating?"

"I..." She sighed, looking away. "I don't know."

I gently grasped her chin and turned her face back to me. "All that time, including the time the kids spent down there with us, helped to move the integration along. It wasn't fair to anyone, least of all you, to be two different people."

She punched my shoulder halfheartedly. "Jerk."

"Consider it payback for all the years you only said, 'it's fine.'" I let my head fall back, resting on the wall behind the couch, eye sockets closed. Her warmth was making the hum in my bones worse. I needed to think about something else. Now was not the time. I opened my eye sockets to stare at the ceiling. "I remembered prisons in the void. Several of them. Whatever went in them could not die. It was imperative that the things in them stay alive. That their death meant horrible things. I don't remember anything else. I'd thought, for a moment, that whatever was in those prisons, it had taken you and the kids away from me."

Frisk kissed the underside of my mandible. "I'm here and the kids are safe."

C's voice floated between us. "God, you two are adorable."

I grimaced. "The third wheel can shut his mouth."

Frisk smiled a little as she rested against my rib cage, hands on my sweater. "Gasters aren't all that great about letting go of any kind of knowledge. Red mentioned that the other two Gasters were in a similar state. You've consciously erased some piece of information from your memory. And not just you. Other Gasters as well."

There was a knock at the door and Frisk stood to answer it. I sat up and took a moment to look around the room we were in. It looked like someone had taken an office, pulled out all of the office equipment, and moved a small living room inside. The couch I sat on, a dark green, matched the two chairs that sat to either side of a long, dark wood, coffee table. A full size fridge hummed away in a corner next to a small counter with cabinets and a sink, all the same dark green. A flat screen tv hung on the wall with a couple wires hanging down to connect a couple different video game consoles. Art prints made from the schematics of star ships found in Star Wars and Star Trek graced the walls.

Frisk opened the door and the ghostly Gaster floated there, looking past my wife to me.

"You were the one hidden in the other room." She smiled softly. "Your kind are so different, and yet, so like us." She frowned. "Did you remember it too? The prisons in the nothing?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"They cannot be opened. None of them. You understand that, right?"

"I don't remember advocating that we should. Do you remember what's in them?"

She shook her ghostly skull. "No. When I try I... No."

Frisk looked between us. "One of the imprisoned is trying to get out. There must be some record somewhere of what's in there, why it had to be sealed away, and why the rest of you chose to forget it."

The ghost's attention turned to her. "I remember that only Gasters were involved in this. Ones specifically connected to the void. It's all the information I can give you without falling into the stupor it caused us to suffer earlier." She looked at me, smiling fondly for a moment before turning.

I took an educated guess. "I look like one of your sons, don't I?"

"Yes. Yes you do. Goodbye, Sans." She floated away.

Frisk reached out to me and I stood, taking her hand. She paused for a moment, gazing at the intertwining of her fingers and my phalanges. She pulled me down toward her to kiss the edge of my mandible. "Jerk. I should have realized something was up when you stopped writing letters to yourself."

I turned my head to whisper in her ear. "You should have realized something was up when my voice would change in bed."

She blinked at me, face turning a bright red. "Ooooh. You are a dead man."

"Only because I refuse to run, Sunflower."

I touched her face and she leaned into the contact before pulling me out the door. I followed her the short distance back to the conference room loaded with file boxes. Everyone jumped up, clamoring to see me.

Blue waved for everyone to settle down. "*you all right, big bone?"

"I'm fine. I hear that other Gasters are having the same response."

Fell Frisk smiled brightly. "I'm glad you're fine. And yes. The little episode you and the two Gasters went through? The same response happens to other Gasters who have a void connection as well. And I mean the exact same response. Their eye or eyes start flickering, they get lost in some memory hole, and then start calling for the person closest to them to comfort them. That includes some of the real pieces of work detained in here."

"Yeah... Watching the really creepy tentacle one hug the agent who's assigned to keep an eye on him was weird," Ossein commented.

Fell Chara elbowed her. "Weirder than watching my Frisk hug her father?"

"Why would that be...? Oh, you mean because he uses tentacles! Yeah. No. That's not actually weird."

Everyone but the Frisk's in the group stared at her.

Fell Chara pointed at his partner. "Yeah. This is what I have to deal with. All the time."

"Shut up! You love it."

Fell Frisk pointed to a box and Lily pushed it over. "There are no records of prisons in the void anywhere. As in, nothing, at all." She pulled a file out of the box. "But there are records of Gasters with holes in their memories." She opened the file and pulled out a small journal. "Lily found this and it's the journal of a W.D. Gaster from before the first Error War! And he wrote down something really strange."

She opened the journal, flipping to a particular page and handed it to me.

I looked over the neat script that looked very familiar, very similar to mine and... blinked at it. Because it was mine. Something I wrote hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Christ. I glanced at the assembled. I wasn't sure if any of them knew it. I sat down for a moment before I read it aloud. "After we had finished the thing we would never speak of, and soon never remember, again, I told her, the Gaster who was not a Gaster, so that someone would remember and keep it safe. So that if our deeds should come undone, one would know and one would understand and one would fight."

I stared at the journal wondering if I could pocket it, read it later. As Dings, I'd been meticulous about journaling and keeping them organized in the lab. I wasn't aware that I had been missing any of those journals. I would need to check later.

"Gaster that isn't a Gaster? Does this mean, like, Bones?" Ossein asked. "Well, I guess if we're talking a girl, it'd mean Iris, but Iris isn't all that old. Relatively speaking."

"No," Provost answered. "Bones is still Gaster at some level. This is talking about Delta."

Her Sans looked at her. "*what?"

"Delta. Delta is a Gaster that isn't a Gaster."

Her Sans shook his skull. "*kid? the delta is an a.i. programmed by dr. gaster. i doubt it counts."

Provost sighed and rubbed her temple. "I keep forgetting that you've never been to Delta's main terminal."

He groaned. "*is this another one of those, 'frisk knows more about my home than i do' things?"

"I'm the Chief Engineer! I should know more about the Delta than you. I know more than Asriel." She suddenly blanched. "Oh God. Don't ever tell him I said that."

Sans smiled wide. "*too late, kiddo! that's prime black mail material right there!"

"I'm older than you," she stated flatly.

He winked at her. "*only technically."

White was immediately on his feet. "YES! I finally get to see an outer space timeline!"

"*i'm not letting everyone here on my timeline! geez. it's hard enough just to get permission to leave let alone-"

Provost rolled her eyes. "Anyone who wants to is welcome to come along."

"*you can't just-" Sans sighed, defeated by realization. "*actually, you can." He placed a boney hand on her stomach. "*i really hope, your highness, that you're more responsible than your royal mother." He looked around. "*all the humans will become monsters when you step on timeline. it's one of our protection methods. so, uh, you'll need to be prepared for that." He looked to 01, the Chara who headed Site Alpha. "*we need to head back to the grassy area we landed to leave, right?"

Chara nodded. "It's just not safe to do any kind of teleporting on premises."

"Is it because you have people here who can take advantage of it?" Ossein asked.

He smiled. "Yes."

"Are you coming with us to the Delta?"

He opened his mouth, face apologetic, and then thought better of what he was going to say. He nodded. "It's the absolute definition of needing to go." He looked down at himself. "I need to prep." He looked back up at us, but his eyes slid to Ossein while he spoke. "I'll meet you on the plain. I'll send my brother in law around to direct you all back to the entrance."

As soon as the door shut behind him, Fell Frisk pulled Ossein close. "He likes you!"

"Noooooo." She perked up. "Really? Cause he's cute!"

Fell Chara groaned. "He looks like me."

"Yeah. And? I never said you weren't cute. I just said you aren't my type."

He rolled his eyes and stood. "Come on. I want to see what you look like as a monster."

"What about your Frisk? Don't you want to see her as a monster?"

Chara pulled out his phone and flipped to a pic of Fell Frisk as a cute little chimera monster who looked similar to my Sunflower in monster form. Next to her stood her Asriel and D, both in human form, though D sported some dragon wings.

"Ah! So cute!" She leaned over and kissed Fell Frisk on the cheek. "Is that D? Oh my God. Cross, your Sans makes a smoking, hot human!"

We looked at Cross and he shrugged. "Okay."

Kris came by and led us back to the glass front atrium, wishing us luck as we headed out of the main gate and back over the hill to the grassy plain. 01 waited there, watching a bank of clouds go by over head. He was in full Seraph gear now, as opposed to just the green button down and darker green cargo pants.

Ossein ran up to him. "How did you get out here so fast?"

He shrugged. "The building has more than one entrance."

"Ooooh. So you made us take the long way."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah. That's exactly what I did."

She laughed and he smiled, genuinely pleased.

"Everyone together," I called.

Everyone fell into formation, Fell Frisk carefully tightening the sling around baby Amara. Lily grasped onto my wife tightly. Colony Sans looked us all over for a moment before the world seemed to flash and we stood in a forest glade.

"Uh... Are we in the right place? This doesn't look like a space ship..." Ossein looked around and took a step before her knee bent in a way she wasn't expecting and she caught herself on a pair of dark, furred paws. "Woah! Cool!" She sat back and pulled a compact out of her bag to look in the mirror. A short black snout and brown eyes looked back at her. "Oh my gosh! I look adorable!" And she did with long flat ears and little horns budding from her head. "Crow! Crow! Come out!"

Crow appeared, but was unchanged. She frowned. "Ah! I thought you might have changed into a cute monster."

The glowing purple eyes behind the black mask blinked at her before the exemplar's form changed, becoming suddenly skeletal. For a moment the clothing around the previously bulky form hung loosely before tightening up, though the face remained hidden around what was now a skull.

She hugged him tightly around the ribs. "That's more like it!"

Blue and I watched the exemplar until it disappeared again, hidden away inside Ossein. He elbowed me. "*interesting that it chose a skeletal form over absolutely every monster form available to it."

"I thought that too. You think some persistent Sans attached himself to her?"

Blue frowned. "*maybe."

01, who appeared to be golden, bipedal griffon, elbowed Fell Chara. "Is she always like that?"

Chara patted him on the shoulder. "She is nonstop. Hurt her and I hurt you."

01 rolled his eyes.

Every one spent a little time checking themselves out in mirrors and getting used to the monster bodies. Papyrus' black work tattoos had translated into markings on his bones where they could be seen under his red sweater and black slacks. Fell Chara resembled his Frisk with a chimera like face and brown fur. Just as last time, my Sunflower became a chimera type monster with pale orange and cream fur over a very short snout. Long, flat ears lay against her head while a furry tail drooped behind her. Cross looked like a male version of her. White... looked like a skeleton. Which I suppose shouldn't have been all that surprising.

"Check this out," Fell Frisk called. "Amara is still human."

Blue and Red both came over, looking at the baby.

Red elbowed his original. "*any ideas?"

Blue shrugged. "*might be that an infant slides under the radar. or maybe the timeline auto translates her as a monster because her father is one." He tickled the baby's hand with one phalanges and she grabbed it automatically. "*she seems fine. give fase a call to have her monitored for us." Frisk nodded and pulled out her phone.

Lily stared at herself in a mirror. "What kind of monster am I, exactly?"

"It's called a Temmie, Lily." Cross tapped Provost's shoulder. "Do you have your camera on you?"

She snorted. "Is water wet?" She opened her camera bag to snap pictures of everyone, promising to send them along later. Following Sans, he took us through the woods to a cobblestone path. The woods opened up as the path grew wider and came to a stop at a metal door against what appeared to be a very tall stone fence. Sans opened the door, revealing a platform that led into a massive transit corridor. Monsters filed up one side and down the other, a few of the youngsters free running across the middle dividers. High above our heads, trams ran the length of the corridor ceiling.

Two human women spotted Provost and waved as they went by with the crowd. The monsters around them took note and waved when they saw her as well, a few hooting congratulations.

White elbowed her "Pretty popular, huh?"

"*she is the queen. a lot of public opinion on her changed dramatically when she and the boss man wed."

"Was that an issue?" Papyrus asked.

"The media enjoyed presenting me as the reason anything and everything went wrong on the ship, much to Asriel's ire and Mettaton's chagrin. When I still lived next door to MTT as Blooky's housemate, he would come over every day to apologize."

"*once the engagement was announced, the media did a complete 180. guess they didn't want to be fomenting a revolution against their future queen."

"So your MTT isn't a one man show?"

Provost shook her head. "Nope. It's his media empire, but it's grown so big he can't run every aspect on a day to day level."

We followed Sans up a set of stairs to the left and over the crowd to an elevator. The elevator took us to the tram station over head. The tram platform brimmed with monsters from all over the ship.

A human male looked away from his conversation with an eagle chimera and a cat monster to give Provost a wave. "Hey, Frisk!"

"Hey, Ellis. You got something for me?"

"Yeah. The upper most aquifer dome isn't filtering water properly. I'm heading up there to check it out. As soon as I know what's going on, I'll send you a report with my recommendations for fixing it."

"Thank you."

"Always. Want to hitch a ride with me?"

Provost shook her head, eyes blue orange. "I'm going to see Gerson's old lady. She's in the opposite direction."

"Later then!" He hopped in the next tram and disappeared.

One of the monster's he'd been speaking to, the eagle breed chimera monster, stepped up. "Hey, Frisk. The new chem treatment for cleaning the air filters around the Core is working well." He nodded toward us. "Who are they?"

"Hey, Ahron. Thanks for the update. These are friends of mine from other parts of the ship."

The monster stared at Cross for a moment before stepping between him and Provost. "Yeah. Friends."

Provost put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Ahron." She nodded toward the cat monster. "I know you and Derete need to be back at the Core soon. I'll be perfectly fine."

He nodded, but both watched Cross as they stepped on the tram, the doors closing.

"Does he remember?" Cross asked.

"He might have an inkling. He's pretty protective of me since I forgave him and Derete for trying to kill me."

We all just looked at her.

She shrugged. "Derete convinced Ahron that I was a danger to Asriel and the Delta several years ago."

Papyrus blinked. "I've met your husband. How were they not thrown out an air lock?"

"I begged Asriel to spare them and spoke on their behalf at their trial."

"*what she's neglecting to mention is that she begged for their lives while infected with the alien microbe they hoped would kill her. they're really lucky that she survived."

"Because the vaccine Alphys developed from my antibodies saved all monsters on the ship?"

"*no. because the boss man would have ripped them apart, trial or no."

Provost sighed and nodded.

Cross watched the tram pull away and changed the subject. "There are way more humans here than I remember."

"Well, yes. But the last time you were here, you were too busy trying to kill me to notice if there were other humans."

"Trying? You mean succeeding."

01 rolled his eyes. "Fuck you, Cross."

Provost smiled. "Thank you, Sir. Delta? I need to speak with you. With the friends I have in tow, I'm sure you know why."

A golden glowing star appeared in front of her. "Of course. Tram 58 will be here in a moment. Your husband is already on board."

Frisk sighed. "Are you fine with him seeing you?"

"I would not have called for His Majesty if I was not. As soon as you appeared in the great forest on the first plate with friends, I had a rather sinking suspicion as to why so many might be here and it is important for His Majesty to know."

Ossein poked Colony Sans. "So why did we need to turn into monsters if there are humans on the ship?"

"*we found the remains of the ship frisk was originally on. of the hundreds on board, only eighteen had survived, one of whom was her twin sister, chara."

Frisk nodded. "While there are humans on the ship now, there are only, at current count, twenty five and everyone knows who they are. If a new group showed up out of no where, it would cause a real problem."

"Twenty five?" Ossein squealed. "Babies!"

Frisk nodded. "Ellis back there? He married Mia, another survivor, and I swear they are trying to repopulate the human race themselves. Five of the seven children belong to them."

"So I take it that your baby won't be the eighth?"

Provost sighed. "I'm not sure how to answer that. There something about humans and monsters breeding together on my timeline that you either end up with a completely human child or a monster child with human DNA markers." A thoughtful and slightly suspicious look came over her face. "Alphys has been studying it for as long as I've been on the ship which is interesting when you consider that Asriel and I are supposed to be the first two in the ship's official history to successfully breed."

Tram 58 pulled up and an Asriel in a plain purple shirt under a pocketed black vest, black pants carelessly stuff into his boots, leaned against the open doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on his face.

"I let you leave and you come back with more mouths to feed."

Provost pointed at her belly. "I thought that was the whole point of this!"

He chuckled and stepped back for us to enter the tram. "Taking me somewhere on my own ship that I've never been before?"

She nodded and reached up to kiss his short snout.

Ossein looked him up and down as she stepped on. "You are WAY shorter than my Asriel." Come to think of it, she was right. This Asriel was only as tall as me.

He nodded. "I know. I've met him. My shortness is a result of my environment. The ship is a confined space."

The tram sped off, White gazing out the window as we entered a tube around the outer perimeter of the ship's biomes. The tube's outer wall was a window, allowing him to gaze at the perpetual starry night.

His Frisk stood next to him. "Is it everything you'd thought it would be."

He put his arm around his brother. "Oh Frisk. It's even better!" He looked over his shoulder at Provost. "You may have trouble getting me to leave."

She chuckled as she sat down, rubbing her belly.

Asriel sat next to her, hand on her stomach. "Kicking?"

She nodded. "He's like you. Restless."

"A boy? I thought we were going for a surprise."

She shook her head. "I don't know for sure and Alphys has been careful not to say. It just... I don't know. I just think it's a boy." He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

Papyrus, Ossein, Fell Frisk, and both Charas stood at the tram windows, watching the stars go by while Blue and Red relaxed on the tram's comfortable seats.

Fell Frisk gently rocked side to side as she gazed out the window. "It's so beautiful." She frowned. "I wish Az and the kids could see this. They'd love it."

Chara put an arm around her and pulled her close. "One day, Sunshine. One day."

The tram came out of the tube and stopped at an empty station. The door slid open to reveal a stop in the process of coming back to life after being left derelict for ages. While half the lights were out, the digital monitors were on and running various news or television programs. The floor had been recently swept and an old, but very recognizable turtle monster, was mopping the floor.

Asriel stepped off first. He looked to Gerson, who gave him a smile, before looking at his wife. "Where are we?"

Gerson laughed. "The home of the most important friend you have on the Delta, Azzy." He walked to a single doorway past the tram station and knocked. "Open up, ya old bat!"

"I suppose it takes one to know one."

Asriel blinked. "Delta?"

Provost smiled. "This tram station leads to Delta's main terminal."

Asriel all but ran inside as the door slid open. He stopped at the railing lining a balcony three stories above a supernaturally clean, if monotonously gray, computer lab. Multiple empty computer terminals, some dark, some active, surrounded a massive terminal in the center, it's screen so big as to be level with the balcony. The screen lit up, revealing the image of a human woman as pale as the white hair on her head. The image was clothed in a nondescript black suit and had one yellow eye and one blue eye. The black line of a scar ran down her face from the blue eye. The human avatar seemed to be looking down at something on the floor.

"You aren't going to get anywhere with that screen."

Provost's voice rose from behind a computer. "I know that! I'm trying to disconnect it so I can replace it!"

Asriel coughed politely and a head with the same face as Provost, all the way down to the pointed chin, popped up, though instead of long red gold hair, her hair was short and a dark brown. Blood red eyes gave us all a once over before smiling.

"Hey, Sis! Hello, Your Majesty! Welcome to Delta's Terminal, everyone! Please excuse the mess. I'm still replacing parts."

Asriel looked at his wife. "You showed your sister Delta's terminal before me?"

"No. Delta brought her here when no one but Gerson was looking." She sighed. "Artificial Intelligence care and maintenance is my sister's specialty. It makes sense to have her here."

"I wasn't arguing that. I was pointing out yet another thing that's happening on my ship without my knowledge."

Provost took his hand in hers. "Let go, Asriel. You married me so you wouldn't have to know everything and handle it all yourself. Relax. Don't go out like your great, great grandfather did to a massive, stress induced heart attack." She looked to Delta. "I'm guessing you know why we're here."

The woman on the screen nodded. "The prisons in the void."

"*cripes. you are the gaster that isn't a gaster." Colony Sans sat down on the stairs. "*how is that possible?"

"I am powered by my creator's soul, Sans. The good doctor is eternally bonded to her greatest creation."

Red leaned on the railing, infinitely amused. "*well, don't keep us in suspense. give us the skinny, toots."

Delta disappeared from the screen and a map of the void and all timelines appeared. Twenty three glowing spots appeared in random locations, each one with a small label.

"Long before the first Error war and the establishment of the Seraph Foundation, anomalies were handled locally and by Gasters who could volunteer their time away from home to help. During this period, multiple anomalous entities attempted to damage the cosmos for their own reasons and, unable to be destroyed, were sealed away in prisons."

One of the twenty three flashed and came forward to reveal a coffin made of nothing but the emptiness of the void itself.

"The prisons are small and their locations as noted here are approximate. They do float a bit and can be pushed around by the gravity of the timelines around them. Opening any one of these prisons involves a combination of factors and each one requires a different set. I do not have any information on what combination opens any specific one."

The coffin on the display opened, revealing a nondescript, example humanoid inside.

"Everyone detained inside the prisons should be in a state of eternal sleep, though this appears to not be the case for at least one of them. Killing any single inhabitant inside one of these prisons would be disastrous. Doing so would spread the consciousness of the imprisoned across the cosmos and allow them to spread their anomalous nature."

"*that means that each of the imprisoned is a gaster," Blue grumbled. "*great. just great." He sat down, letting his pink slippered feet hang from the side of the stairs. "*so what do we do if one of these things breaks out?"

The image on the screen disappeared and Delta returned. "The only option is containment. Though a new containment option will likely need to be researched and used."

01 frowned, arms crossed over his chest. "So what's with the memory erasure? Why forget anything and leave a note that might possibly have never been found in an emergency?"

"If containment had been breached, I would have used my power to summon the appropriate people to me. But the memory erasure was part of the security measure." Images of peaceful Frisks and Charas appeared on Delta's screen. "You always have people willing to try to save those who cannot be saved." Images of genocidal Frisks and Charas as well as evil Sans-es and power hungry humans and monsters appeared next. "As well as people who believe they can use the power of the imprisoned for themselves."

"So now what?" Papyrus asked. "What's the plan?"

Frisk looked to 01. "This is your department."

He nodded. "We are going to do three things concurrently. "First, we are going to check each of the prisons and make sure they are intact. Second, we are going to use information about how the prisons were created to see if we can strengthen them. Third, we are going to prepare for possible breach and start researching a new kind of containment."

"What about stopping something that escapes?" Frisk asked.

He licked his lips, thinking for a moment, before shaking his head. "We won't know how to stop a particular person until we can assess what they can do. Delta? Do you have records on who is in each prison?"

"No."

He shook his head. "Then it's a waiting game. We can surmise, from the timeline alignments, that the Gaster doing it knows that a specific set of alignments is the combination for getting out of his prison. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to recognize that more timelines exist now than when it went into containment. That gives us some time to work with." He looked at the assembled. "Red, Bones, Frisk Church, Frisk Cross, Frisk Ossein, and Fell Chara. You're checking the prisons. Get as much information about them as you can from being onsite. Papyrus, Lily Williams, and," he indicated White's little brother, "Frisk Gaster. You are on figuring out how to strengthen the prisons. White, Frisk Lucida Gaster, and Blue. You're on creating a new kind of containment."

"What about me?" Provost asked.

He looked her up and down. "You're due in two months and I refuse to send you into the void. Have a seat."

I snorted and leaned on the railing. "Hey, Delta. I'll need your coordinates."

01 frowned. "I know I gave you that assignment, but will you be fine doing it?"

Ossein waved it off. "If we need to, Red and I will be there to pull everyone back. Home is just one of the places I have memorized."

01 raised an eyebrow. "Where else do you have memorized?"

"Oh, Underfell. Papyrus over there? His timeline. Black's timeline. The CyberFell timeline I was found on. And Prime."

Fell Chara raised an eyebrow. "That Toriel remembers you even after having her timeline reset?"

Ossein smiled. "Oh yeah! Fase said that she would always remember me, so I go visit."

01's jaw dropped. "Wait. Prime?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I go see Blue all the time."

Blue nodded.

"Is that really weird? Because I go to Prime too." Fell Frisk added.

Blue nodded again.

01 looked between the two of them. "I have no words."

Chara Provost's head popped back up from behind a computer bank. "I've got this bank set up for the group looking at the current containment and the bank on the right set up for the group looking at new containment."

Papyrus gave her an amused smile. "You aren't weirded out by any of this?"

"Weirded out by what? Humans transformed into monsters and researching ancient prisons in the void? It wasn't on my list of things I'd ever thought I'd see, but then, I never thought I'd end up sleeping through a thousand year journey to find my long lost twin sister on a massive colony ship, filled with monsters, floating through space. Perspective, dude. Perspective."

Delta disappeared from her screen and the coordinates for the prisons appeared on the screen. Ossein and Fell Chara pulled out their phones and took pictures while Red and I memorized the equations. Frisk and Cross checked their equipment.

Red rolled his shoulders. "*are we ready?"

Frisk nodded. "Bones and I will take the first one. Frisk and Chara take the second. You and Cross take the third. After than, Bones and I will take four, ten, thirteen, and so on. Frisk and Chara will have five, eight, eleven, and so on. You and Cross will have six, nine, twelve and so on. If you find something, contact the rest."

Fell Chara nodded. "Got it."

Ossein ran over to Fell Frisk for a moment, asking her something. Frisk pulled out the marker in her pocket and wrote something on Ossein's arm before pulling out a roll of clear tape and wrapping Ossein's arm so the ink wouldn't smudge. She waved Chara over and gave him the same treatment, whispering something as she indicated Ossein's arm. A whispered thanks and Chara put his arm around his partner. They disappeared into the void. Red and Cross disappeared next. I put my arm around my girl and the world blinked out. Hanging there in nothing, Frisk let me pull her through the dark toward the coordinate location. As expected, the prison was not at the precise coordinate, but off a bit, floating near the reddish twinkle of a fell timeline.

"It's like a solid piece of the void," Frisk whispered.

I nodded. Someone, perhaps myself even, had managed to take the void and make a three dimensional object out of it. I, very carefully, let my consciousness touch the box.

Nothing.

Whatever slept inside of it was completely unresponsive.

"This one isn't our culprit."

Frisk nodded. "Your voice changed."

"Is my eye flickering as well?"

She shook her head. "On to the next?"

"Yeah."

The next three were exactly the same. Unresponsive. If not for a sense of weight to them, I'd have thought they were empty. Frisk's phone buzzed and she pulled it out.

"Hey, Church? Have Bones bring you to number fifteen."

She looked to me. "Got that?"

I pulled her tight to my side with a smile, causing her to shiver. "Of course."

A moment later and we stood next to Red and Cross outside the doorway of a long forgotten temple of some long gone religion on a timeline that felt incomplete. Like Inky hadn't quite gotten around to finishing it. But this one was too old to be one of Ink's creations. Was it empty simply because time had moved on? The original inhabitants long gone? I stared at the doorway and the barrier made of the void itself.

"Your eye is flickering," Frisk whispered.

I nodded. "This is it".

"*yeah. timelines have actually moved around us multiple times since we got here. we are, technically speaking, still floating in the void."

Cross jerked on Frisk's sleeve. "Lyall says hi, by the way."

Ossein and Chara appeared next to Cross.

"Is this the- Woah! We're on a timeline?" Ossein looked at me. "How are we on a timeline?"

"We aren't. The timelines are moving around us in the void."

"That's sweet! And terrifying. And..." She looked at the empty doorway, eyes suddenly an inky blue and field with stars. "It... It knows we're here." She took a few steps back. "We have to leave. Now."

Chara put his hands on her shoulders. "Frisk? It's okay. There are literally thousands upon thousands of timelines now. It's not going to figure out-"

She shook her head, staring at the entrance. "It's looking for Prime. The last part of the combination is Prime."

Chara's jaw dropped. "Oh no."

I felt something reaching through the void, looking to touch me, only to shoot away suddenly. I grabbed Frisk around the waist. "All of us! Out of here! Now!"

Ossein whimpered and grabbed a hold of her partner, hugging him tightly, hiding her face against his chest. "Too late."

The world dissolved around us and when a new timeline appeared, we stood under a starry, night sky outside a large building with the Delta Rune emblazoned over the entrance. There was a resounding click followed by the creak of a door long in disuse swinging open. Out of the entrance of the building where the prison lined up with Prime, a tall being completely covered in black and edged in a deep violet glow stepped forward. When the head lifted, a smile like a slash greeted us. An array of Gaster Blasters appeared around Red as he stepped in front of Cross. They let off a massive blast combined blast at the thing, blowing a hole in the middle of it. The hole closed as if nothing had hurt it. Not caring enough to retaliate, its empty eye sockets settled on Ossein.

It stepped toward her, the black of it's body spreading like ink in her direction. Crow suddenly appeared in front of Ossein and Chara, blocking the way. The thing hissed loudly.

"*get her out of here, chara! now!"

Chara ripped Ossein's sleeve open, revealing the equation written on her arm. They both disappeared, Crow lingering for a moment longer than he should have before disappearing as well.

I put Frisk behind me and summoned my Blasters. Keying into their power, I adjusted their blasts for an incorporeal target. They let loose a blinding, white blast, and the thing screamed when it hit.

"Set for incorporeal!"

"*got it!" Red's next blast had it screaming in agony.

"You can't kill it!" Frisk yelled. "We need to contain it!"

The thing, once torn apart, fell to the ground like water, forming a puddle, and shot toward Frisk and I. It rose from the ground again, the slash of a smile even more awful up close. I immediately put myself between him and Frisk. It laughed, a voice like the endlessness of the void echoing off the trees. "Oh how the mighty have fallen..."

Three blue blasts of power slammed into it from the building, and it hissed, head turning. Standing in the doorway of the building where Blue, the Prime Papyrus, and the Prime Gaster. They let loose another blast and the thing retreated, disappearing into the void.


	8. Ep 8 Barriers, Part 1

Core Issues: Season Four

by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk, Chara, Sans, and Toriel belongs to ilanitalia! "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" is in the public domain.

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 8 - Barriers, Part 1

(Fell!Chara is our narrator!)

I woke up to my left arm completely numb. A small goat monster was curled up against me, and in my sleep, I'd snuggled him close. Using a trick I'd used on his father when we were children, I lifted my nephew Chara's long ear, tickling just where the ear and head met. He squirmed a little and rolled over. Finally having my arm back, I moved to sit up, only to find a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. My nephew's mother was holding me tightly in her sleep.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Gently lifting Frisk's arms, I managed to turn her on her side, away from me. Staring at her for a long while, I noticed a pinching around her mouth, a squeezing of her eyes. I laid back down and put my arms around her, resting my forehead against the back of her neck. Whispering softly, I assured her that I was still there. That the quiet in her head did not mean I was gone forever.

Even now, years after the separation, we both still yearned, in some way, to be one person.

"Chara?"

I looked up and saw my brother in the door way. Amara, my youngest niece, and the only human child of the three, slept peacefully in her father's arms. "Morning, Az."

Asriel came in and knelt next to the bed. He gently brushed Frisk's green and gray hair away from her face. "Just another one of those nights."

"I'm sorry it's like this."

My brother blinked at me, yellow eyes confused. "Why?"

"I guess it just feels like stealing."

"How?" A wicked smile curled his lips. "Or are you saying that Amara is your child?"

My jaw dropped. "Az!"

He chuckled. "Sorry! I couldn't resist!"

"You're as bad as mom! Worse still, there are people who believe it!" I sighed. "It's bad enough that I can't even explain our relationship in a way that doesn't make it sound weird."

He poked me in the forehead with the pad of one clawed finger. "Really? It's quite easy to explain." His eyes closed and his voice took on the cadence of recitation. "She is stretched on your grave and will lie there forever. Your hands are in hers, and I'm sure you'll not sever."

I smiled a little. "I remember Papyrus making her memorize that poem."

"It is his favorite."

Amara stirred and Frisk's eye lids fluttered, instinctively called by her child's needs. She reached for the baby and Asriel pressed his little girl into her arms. I let go of Frisk and crawled over my nephew to get out of bed. Stretching, I grimaced at the cracking sound that accompanied it.

Az leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He'd been growing out his beard, but kept it trimmed so that he looked kindly, rather than darkly imposing like our father. "Heading over to the Foundation?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Undyne's on today, so you'll be good."

He shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

I frowned and dug through my drawers for a shirt and jeans. "Yeah. I know." I looked at the photo of my partner and I that'd I'd shoved in the pinch space between the dresser's mirror and it's frame, her smile big and bright. A smile I hadn't seen since the thing imprisoned in the void escaped a few months ago. A smile I'd give anything to see again. "She's off today. I'm taking her ice skating."

"How have things been with her and the Foundation head?"

I sighed. "Well, between him and Blue, they've managed to keep her functional."

"Again, that's not what I meant."

My shoulders drooped as my head fell back. "I know." I resisted the urge to bang my head off something solid. "Just because I don't feel that way about her, doesn't mean that I'm not jealous that some other Chara is making headway where I can't. I'm supposed to be her Chara. I'm the one who's supposed to be able to..." I tossed my bed shirt back on the bed. It landed on my nephew, who immediately rolled over, cuddling it in his sleep. "I don't know." I finished getting dressed.

Az walked over to hug me and I buried my face against his chest.

"How do you save someone when you don't even know what's wrong to start? She keeps saying it's her fault, but even if she hadn't been there, Bones and Red both knew how to get to Prime. It's not like... I don't know."

Az booped the top of my head with his nose. "You'll figure it out. Would you like me to make you breakfast before you go?"

I shook my head and realized that my hair was still long. Frisk hadn't cut it after we came back from the Delta. I quickly pulled it back with a hair band. "Nah. I'll grab something on the way." Shoving my wallet and phone in a pocket, I pulled on my coat with the red and gold Delta Rune embroidered on the back. I patted the patch that denoted me as a member of the royal guard on my sleeve, feeling the old Midnight Collapse badge, hidden behind it. I picked up my backpack and shouldered it. Giving my brother a farewell salute, I fell into the void, letting an equation and the resulting coordinate I'd long memorized take me a timeline away.

I touched down in the gardens outside Site Epsilon's main building. Bones' Frisk and her Asgore were elbow deep in the flower beds, putting in rows of brightly colored annuals. She waved when she saw me and I waved back before heading inside. Going up the stairs, I found the door to Cross' apartment open, the music of Papyrus' violin filling the hall. When the violin stopped, Princess and So-So picked up where the song left off on their flutes. I turned right, walking past the Gaster family apartment, past the door to King Asriel's home and the souls of the fallen children, hidden somewhere inside, to Frisk's apartment on the other side.

I entered without knocking, dropping my backpack next to her couch. There was an indent in the cushions from someone having recently sat there. From the boney-ness of the indent, it was likely Blue keeping an eye socket on her until I showed up. Her pokemon partner, Umbra, rested on the other side of the couch, yawning. The smell of cooked strawberries hung heavy in the air.

"Hey, Shooting Star! You up yet?"

A deflated voice greeted me. "Yeah. Morning."

I frowned, entering the kitchen. Frisk stood over a slow cooker, spooning the oats she'd mixed the night before into a bowl. She'd put on a t-shirt with a cute, cartoonish Muffett on it, a souvenir from a timeline in which our story was literally a video game, complete with merchandise, though she was still in her bed shorts.

"I'm having strawberries and cream oatmeal. Do you want some?"

"Sure." I took the spoon from her before grabbing a bowl from the cabinet. "Ready to hit the ice?"

She nodded as she sat at her little kitchen table, a vintage, wooden thing painted a refined baby blue. "Papyrus is taking Brandon, Sophia, and Princess today, so we'll see them there." She pointed to her glass faced cabinets, painted the same blue as the table. "Chocolate chips are on the shelf above the spices."

I smiled. Damn if she didn't know me, huh? I poured in a generous amount of chocolate chips before sitting down across from her. She stared at her oatmeal, stirring it a little before eating mechanically. I reached across the table, taking her left hand in my right and holding it while we ate.

"Which Papyrus?"

"Bones' brother."

"Why isn't Bones going? Doesn't he usually take the kids?"

Frisk nodded, watching the oatmeal slide off her spoon and into the bowl for a moment. "He's down in his lab in the Core. He's been looking for something. Church says he's going through all his old journals, looking for some reference of the..." she trailed off and then shoved a mouthful of oatmeal in her mouth.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

She returned to eating and I sighed. Breakfast concluded, she left to finish getting dressed while I cleaned up. Not that there was much to do. For someone as all over the place as she could be, Frisk was meticulously clean and organized. When she'd finished dressing, she wore a pair of sparkly, purple, galaxy leggings and a black, zip front hoodie that said, 'If figure skating were easy, they'd call it hockey' embroidered on the back. I put my arm around her and short cut us over to the ice rink.

Admission paid and our skates firmly laced, I stepped on the ice after Frisk, letting her set the pace. She started slow, hands in her pockets, skating around everyone else on the ice. The kids arrived a little after us with Papyrus. Princess gripped his boney hand, face scrunched tightly as she concentrated on moving her feet. The Frisk covered in the scars of her battles in the underground could really skate, despite her nervousness. But she lacked the necessary body confidence to just go.

Papyrus let one of his blades slip, going down on one knee on the ice. "OH MY!"

Princess gasped and he gave her a smile. "OH, DO NOT WORRY, PRINCESS. I SIMPLY NEED TO TIGHTEN MY LACES. WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO HELP ME OFF THE ICE?"

She nodded once, eyes suddenly filled with Determination. She took his boney hand and skated across the ice like it was nothing, pulling him along. When they got the edge of the rink, she smiled up at the skele-man, eyes shining.

"I TOLD YOU, YOU COULD DO IT."

She blinked at him before her jaw dropped open.

Papyrus smiled warmly. "I BET YOU COULD CATCH SOPHIA IF YOU TRIED."

"You tricked us!" the ghostly Chara fumed.

"NYEH HEH HEH!"

Princess grabbed Chara's hand and skated off, pulling the ghost along behind her.

Papyrus chuckled as he stepped back on the ice, skating with his hands held behind his back.

Frisk kept skating, face blank, lost in her own thoughts. I stayed beside her, frowning at her lack of enthusiasm. She'd been like this since seeing the Gaster that'd escaped it's prison in the void. And no matter how many times anyone told her that it's escape wasn't her fault, she'd refused to believe it. Since then, 01, the Chara who headed Site Alpha, would show up, taking her out and about when she wasn't working in the lab, keeping her from shutting herself away. All of her surrogates had come to visit her, including the queenly Toriel of the cyber fell timeline she'd been found on. Blue would just suddenly be around, sitting on her couch or just hanging in the lab while she worked, though she hadn't been much for conversation. Crow would follow her around the foundation building, the glow in his purple eyes less intense as he helped her. She'd continued to do normal things. Staying on routine as Church and Cross had both encouraged her to do. But she'd refused the offer to talk to someone about it, choosing instead to remain silent.

Wait. Purple? Crow's eyes weren't purple. They were yellow. I shook my head. Obviously, I left my memory somewhere else.

A voice came over the PA system, "The next song is for Freestyle skaters only!"

Ossein turned on the ice, skating backwards, zipping past the kids as they left the ice with me only to line up at the plexi glass to watch. Papyrus continued skating with his hands clasped behind his back as two others hopped on the ice to practice jumps and foot work. Princess pulled on Sophia's sleeve, pointing as Frisk skated by, building speed for a jump. She pushed one skate to the outside edge and toe picked hard with the other foot to launch herself into a lutz. As she moved through the second revolution, I sucked in a breath, holding it as I cringed, waiting for the inevitable wobble, the skate sliding out from under her as she hit the ice, and skid, crashing to the wall.

She stuck the landing, turning as her feet moved with the music.

I stared, slack jawed.

There was no squeal of joy, no jumping, not even the ghost of a smile as she came around the rink. The crowd clapped boisterously as she skated past. Papyrus took her hand as she came around, turning her to waltz with him across the ice, something they'd done in competition together.

"Holy crow, she nailed it!"

I jumped, grabbing at the wall to keep from falling. My Frisk was standing next to me and her sudden presence hit me like a tornado. "Christ, Sunshine! What are you doing here?!"

She shrugged. "You were suddenly really worried and then really shocked, and it came across a timeline away."

"I could have been on a mission! You would have put yourself in danger!"

She blinked and for a moment her eyes were nothing but flickering red pinpricks in black scerla before returning to her normal brown.

I huffed. "Yes. Yes. I know that you can burn the world should you so desire. That's not the point. It's my job to protect you."

She smiled, putting an arm around me. She gestured to Frisk, who was twirling on the ice with Papyrus holding one of her hands high. "I take it she's feeling better?"

I shook my head. "She just landed a jump she's never successfully done before and she didn't even so much as smile. She just kept going like she'd done it a hundred times before." I looked back at my partner, as she turned into a spin. "She still says it's her fault, and she still won't say why." I sighed. "Did you manage to get any information from the equations you wrote on me?"

"Unfortunately, not much." She looked over as Frisk and Paps came off the ice. "That was awesome, Frisk!"

"Thank you." Frisk very carefully slipped her blade guards on her skates. Sophia and Princess clamored around her and she gave them a wan smile before carefully walking over to the bathroom.

My Frisk frowned as the kids rushed back onto the ice. "She still won't talk to anyone?"

Papyrus shook his skull. "SHE HAS REFUSED TO SEE THE THERAPIST."

Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "She said that it touched her like it was reaching through her."

I frowned. "It didn't get close enough to touch her. I pulled her back to the Delta as soon as it reached for her."

Frisk smiled at me. "What if it was through the void? For her, it'd be like touching the most intimate part of her being."

"THAT WOULD EXPLAIN A LOT. ESPECIALLY HER FEELING THAT IT WAS HER FAULT," Papyrus mused.

I groaned. "Oh hell. That makes the situation much worse." I shivered, forcing myself to think about the possibility even though I wanted badly to dismiss it.

Frisk's eyes lit up suddenly. "Wait. If it did touch her, I might be able to use that to track it. It's been completely hidden from us, but touching Frisk, even for a moment, means that it left a connection behind."

My phone went off at the same time my partner's phone rang in her bag at my feet.

I fished my phone out of my pocket and hissed at the message. This was it. It'd finally landed somewhere. And we didn't have anything close to containment ready. "It'll have to wait. We've got a sighting. Head back home now." She nodded and disappeared.

Frisk came out of the bathroom and looked over my shoulder at my phone. "It landed somewhere?"

"Yeah. Let's hurry."

Papyrus patted my shoulder. "BE SAFE."

Frisk picked up her bag and put her hand on my shoulder. One short cut later and we were in the equipment room. Frisk immediately dropped to the bench to take off her skates and pull on a pair of pants over her leggings. I switched out my skates for my boots, stowing my regular bag in my mission bag's spot on the shelf. After arming herself, Frisk shivered.

I put an arm around her shoulders. "You okay?"

She nodded but continued to tremble.

Bones appeared next to me, grabbing his bag from the shelf. "This is it. Are you kids ready?" His voice held a more ethereal quality to it, like any voice a Wing Dings Gaster would have, and it'd been creeping in for a while now.

I nodded.

The door opened and Church appeared, throwing her clothes in the corner as she grabbed her uniform from the shelf. She armed quickly before sliding on her jacket. "Did you find what you were looking for in the lab?"

Bones sighed as he put his arm around her waist. "Everything is in order. I'm not missing a single journal. So now I'm just digging through them for any information."

Putting my arm around Frisk, I took Bones' hand. The void opened for us only to close just as fast, landing us in a parking lot near a playground. A long line of statues of humans and monsters all looked like they were walking toward something in bliss. Arms out, expressions filled with awe, the statues looked to sparkle like ice crystals were caught in the stone. I reached out to one and it crumbled, the horrific smile the last to fall away.

"These aren't statues," I breathed.

Frisk gripped my hand tightly when a sound drew our attention. A piercing scream split the air. We ran for toward it, carefully avoiding the 'statues' that continued deep into the park. A heavy bank of trees covered a large playground area where a pile of icy 'statue' people laid in a mangle. But instead of blissful expressions, theirs' were pained. These people had fought against their deaths.

Everything was too quiet. I looked around and I could see humans and monsters hiding with their children in bushes and behind playground equipment. There eyes locked on something. I followed their gaze to it. Oh fuck. It was taller than I remembered and black as ink. It's hideous slash of a smile was concentrated on a ten year old skeletal girl hiding behind a barrier of glowing red bones, with an older woman in a long purple veil.

A battle cry filled the air and a red headed woman, long hair flying around her, came at it from the side. Whatever the sword in her hand was made of, it was damaging the thing. It worked hard to avoid her attacks, long inky tentacles being cut as they came near. A lucky hit caught her in the chest with a long tentacle, throwing her back. She rolled and came up in a crouch, left eye glowing a bright red.

The woman raised her hand and an array of nasty looking Gaster Blasters appeared, glowing a sickening crimson. They let loose a blast on the thing as she ran straight for it. Leaping into the air, she brought the sword down, looking to cleave the thing in two. Instead, she was hit mid air with a tentacle through the chest.

The monster child screamed hiding her little eye sockets behind boney hands.

The woman in the long purple veil gasped. "SANS!"

The red haired Sans was thrown with a sickening crunch into the metal tower of the playground's jungle gym. As she hit the ground, the barrier around the child and what was obviously a Toriel dropped. It turned on them even as Sans crawled across the grass toward the monster Frisk. The skeleton child made a dash for it as Toriel prepared to fight.

"No!" Frisk ran right at the creature, slamming into it with her shoulder and knocking it away. "Back off!"

It whipped around only to pause mid-attack and sigh happily when it saw her. Drawing itself to its full height, it loomed a good three feet over Frisk, who glared at it with complete loathing, despite her trembling. Bending over her almost lovingly, it reached for her with one hand, and she closed her eyes, shivering as if it were already touching her. Crow burst to life in front of her, punching it directly in the chest and sending it backward a few feet.

Bones and I took the opportunity to attack, pummeling it with magic. It took one look at Bones and frowned deeply before disappearing into the void.

Frisk let out the breath she was holding, hugging herself. The child cried out and she opened her eyes, looking for the sound. She caught sight of the human Sans gasping for air. Running over, Frisk dropped to her knees as she forced the woman to lie flat.

Pulling on a pair of gloves, she inspected the wound with a finger. "The strike went clean through and pierced your lung. It didn't hit your spine but if you keep moving, you're going to do more damage to yourself." She reached into her bag for her kit. "This is going to hurt."

"*she says to the fell sans," the woman joked. "*you okay, kiddo?"

Frisk pulled out a hypodermic, hands shaking. "Your Frisk is fine."

"*i was talkin' to you, shootin' star."

"I'm fine."

"*just because it looked real happy to see you doesn't mean that you did anything wrong."

A stoppered vial slipped from Frisk's fingers to her lap and she fisted it in order to hold it tightly enough. "You have a hole in your chest."

"*if i don't make it, the kid just loads her save. no harm. no foul. but you ain't fixin' anything shakin' like that." She coughed, blood staining her lips. "*forget the fancy stuff. just give me a couple cinnamon bunnies and i'll be okay."

Frisk found her steadiness in her rising anger. "You are in shock and loading her save may not help the people who've died. Now shut up and let me work!"

Sans smiled at Frisk, not even grimacing when the needle jabbed into her arm. She looked over at Bones. "*woah. the big man, huh?"

"What happened?" he asked.

"*came in crackin' people open and suckin' up their souls. the worst part? most of them walked right up to him like they were offerin' themselves, smiling the whole damn time. it ran when it saw you though. did you manage to hurt it?"

"It knows me from somewhere, but I don't remember it."

"*fuck. any idea why it wants all the souls?"

"No. Might be using them to feed itself."

"How are you still even conscious?!" Frisk growled.

"*it's called determination, shootin' star." Her hand came up and rested on Frisk's. "*i know that look. i've seen it on my face. that thing hit you in a place that makes you feel raw and that feelin' isn't goin' away until you face it. you can't hold it inside you like that. you just can't. you were willing to let it get you there again to protect someone you didn't even know. and that's a step in the right direction, but it isn't enough on it's own."

The anger slipped away. "You're bleeding out."

Sans smiled. "*not quite." She closed her eyes. "*get to work, kiddo. i really don't want to end up under my alphys' care. she'll make me my own personal episode of 'oh so cyborg.'"

Frisk worked quickly, stabilizing Sans in time for the ambulance to cart her away. She sat there as members of the royal guard came, staring at her hands. I sat next to her as she pulled the gloves off and stuffed them in a bio waste bag. I took one of her hands in mine, squeezing it gently.

"It felt me." She sniffed, eyes staring hard at nothing. "It reached right through the void and touched me. If I hadn't been there, it would never have seen the way to Prime."

Bones sat down next to her. "Red and I both knew the way. It could have just as easily have hit either of us." He frowned when he said it. He was leaving something out. What was it?

She shivered.

I wrapped my arms around her. "You can't hide these things." I pulled her head to my chest, tucking it under my chin. "You have to tell us." I hugged her, holding on as she shook with silent tears. "Or at least tell me," I whispered. I squeezed her tightly, rocking her a little. "Would it make you feel better if its touch is something that can help everyone?"

She nodded against my chest.

"Frisk thinks she might be able to track it through you. Will you go with me to see her?"

She nodded again.

I looked up at Bones. "Do you have the rest here?"

He nodded. "Go on."

I blinked for a minute, looking around for Church and saw her talking with two site Gamma agents and 01. He looked over toward us for a moment with a frown before going back to examining the strange, icy dust bodies of the dead.

"Sans," she whispered.

Bones smiled. "She'll be fine, kiddo. That one was no 'one hit point wonder.'"

Frisk nodded and put her arms around me. I looked up as Crow disappeared, returning to where ever it was inside of Frisk he resided. And blinked. His eyes had been purple. When had his eyes changed color. I petted Frisk's head for moment while I thought back. Crow had been acting independently for a while now. When had he started doing that? A few months back? Every time we'd been in danger on mission, Crow had gone from defensive to proactive. How long had that been going on?

I shelved the thought. Now wasn't the time to dally when my partner might decide against letting my Frisk look at her. I let the mathematical hum of the timeline equations fill my head, taking us into the void. I let us hang there for a bit, floating in her one element. The part of herself that she'd been hiding from.

She tensed. "We shouldn't linger. Orders are instant teleports for the foreseeable future."

I kissed the top of her head. "This is your place. Don't let some smiley piece of trash take it from you."

She turned up her head to look at me, eyes a bit bleary from tears.

I gave her a smile. "You once told me that this was your favorite part. Just floating along in the void. Letting the equation pull you along."

Face still upturned, she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she let go to roll to my left, floating next to me. I took her hand in mine and relaxed. She breathed a deep sigh, trembling a little.

"Missed it, huh?"

She smiled a little. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand. "Anytime, Shooting Star. When your ready, I'll put us down, but take as long as you like. I don't mind." I closed my eyes only to feel a yank on my hair. I opened my left eye to look at her.

"I haven't cut your hair yet, have I?"

"Nope. In your defense, you've been a little distracted."

Her smile grew a little and she relaxed, floating next to me. "Are you sure we're safe?"

I closed my eye. "We're just fine. This is your place. If we weren't safe, you would know long before I did."

I wasn't sure how long we floated there, resting the great silence of the cosmos before my stomach growled. Frisk made a sound that was almost a giggle, like an echo of her true self trying to come out. I landed us outside the Dreemurr home in the Ruins. After much debate on the subject with dad, it was decided that the royal family would live here while the grandchildren were young, far from the human public and safe from assassination. While Asriel did not have the same political worries his father had, the third attempt on Dad had been enough to convince him so long ago to keep Frisk in Snowdin.

We went inside the house and into the living room on the left. My brother sat at the table with little Chara, practicing the alphabet, while my Frisk helped Lucida, the middle child and a goat monster like her older brother, practice walking. Amara slept quietly in a little rocker set near the wall. Undyne sat across the table from my brother, drinking a cup of tea.

Undyne smiled over her tea. "Hey there, Prick. Shootin' Star."

"Hey, Undyne." Frisk put her bag down next to the table.

My Frisk smiled up at us. "Hey, guys!" She blinked at me. "You actually saw it. What happened?"

"We don't know yet. The Sans on timeline said that it was stealing souls. The bodies left behind were these statue like things of dust and ice. Sans also said that some of them were offering their souls willingly. We saw an entire line of the dead who looked like they had happily marched to their demise."

Frisk frowned. She patted the floor next to her. "Are you sure you're okay with letting me look at you?"

Shooting Star nodded and sat down. I sat down next to her as Lucida was sat on her bottom, her little goat snout up at she looked between us. I booped her nose with a finger and she smiled as she wiggled her nose. Undyne flipped the chair around at the table to watch us.

Sunshine and Shooting Star looked at each other, brown eyes to brown eyes. Frisk's eyes began to glow a soft red, her hands moving up to gently cup my partner's cheeks. Her hands began to glow just as softly. My partner blinked and as her eyes opened, inky blue pools of night with pinpricks of star light filled her irises. Her face softened as if she were listening to some music unheard by the rest of us. After a few moments, the red glow subsided. Shooting Star blinked, her eyes returning to their normal brown. Frisk went up on her knees, kissing my partner on the forehead.

She passed out, falling backward. I caught her, cradling her head against my shoulder.

"Oh Frisk. That's not something you should ever hide."

I gently pushed Shooting Star's hair from her face. "You knocked her out."

Frisk sighed. "A side effect. I was locking down Crow for a few minutes."

"Fuck! I knew something was up with him. What's going on and how dangerous is it?"

Frisk lifted her hand. "It's okay. You can relax a bit." She gently touched my partner's hair. "Back on the Delta, after you took her to the islands, we talked for a bit about it. Bones said he felt the thing reach out directly for him only to veer off and go right for Frisk. We've all noticed that Crow's been acting differently. And my examination confirms it. The thing in the prison wasn't looking for her. It was looking for Crow. Specifically, the half of a monster soul that's living in Crow. And that monster soul knew the way to Prime on it's own."

"How does half a monster soul live?" Undyne asked. "Shouldn't it have just shattered?"

"Depends on how it was split. But it's half a monster. Well, half a boss monster. I can't tell exactly when she picked it up. But I can tell you where. She picked it up while floating in the void near the coordinates of the prison."

"No, fuckin' way!" Undyne laughed. "Can you track the thing that came out of the prison?"

"Yes. There's enough there for me to come up with a way too. I wish I'd thought to look earlier. We might have been able to find it sooner." She frowned and touched my partner's face. "I might have been able to save her some grief." She leaned over and to kiss my partner's cheek.

"But we still have no way to contain it," my brother pointed out.

Lucida crawled over to put her snout against my partner's face. I gave her a smile. "So now what?"

Frisk smiled. "Now, I make us a way to track the thing. Your job is to find out what monster is in there. Just be gentle about it. Frisk fiercely loves Crow and the monster that's in there is very devoted to her. Take it slow."

I sighed. "Got it."

"Anything else you want to ask before I wake her?"

I shook my head. "No. I just have to figure out how to talk to her about this."

"You'll figure it out. You're her Chara." Her hand brushed over my partner's eyes and she blinked, sitting up. "How do you feel? All right?"

She nodded. "Did you find anything?"

Frisk nodded. "I can use what I found to make a tracker." She smiled. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Trusting me. Ready for some lunch?"

Shooting Star nodded and I helped her to her feet. After a pleasant lunch of soup and sandwiches, we waited while Frisk packed a bag for Amara, carefully slipping her into the sling.

Undyne chuckled as I put my arms around my Frisk's. "Looks like you've got all you can handle, Prick."

I flipped her off.

The fish woman snorted. "Don't you go making promises."

My Frisk laughed, clasping Amara as her shoulders heaved. I rolled my eyes and pulled both Frisk's into the void. Just as swiftly, we landed in the hallway outside the equipment room in Site Epsilon. Frisk kept laughing, tears in her eyes.

"Oh come on! It's not that funny!"

I heard a giggle from the other side and turned my head to see my partner losing it. She reached out, bracing herself against the wall. "It is so that funny!"

I groaned. "Frisks."

"Oh don't you 'Frisk' us! We both know!"

I let my shoulders hunch in defeat. Yeah. They both knew. Though technically speaking, every monster on my timeline knew about the only formal declaration of loyalty I'd accepted. It'd been Undyne's way of passing Sunshine into my care, and an acknowledgement that one day I would take her place as the Captain of the Guard.

Alphys was still pissy about it and it'd been... what? Five years ago? Six?

My partner unlocked the equipment room and we stowed our gear. Bones and Church's gear was clean and back in place. I hoped that also meant they had some good information. As we left the room, Frisk pulled the door shut behind us, listening for the lock to click before we headed down the hall toward the labs and the conference rooms beyond. There was something of a bounce in her step and I groaned internally.

A sex joke made at my expense made her feel better? Really? It wasn't up to completely normal for her, so I wasn't holding my breath yet.

Frisk stopped at the entrance to the lab, looking in on her adoptive Asriel as he worked. "Did anything develop in the dishes?"

He looked up from his microscope and notes. "We won't see anything for another nine hours. Take the time to relax before the briefing. My sister has some news for us."

She nodded, hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie.

"I Demand To See My Child! Where Are They?!"


	9. Ep 9 Barriers, Part 2

Core Issues: Season Four

by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk, Chara, Sans, and Toriel belongs to ilanitalia! Also, as a reminder, my use of Scartale is not canon to the original material.

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 9 - Barriers, Part 2

(Fell!Chara continues as our narrator!)

"I Demand To See My Child! Where Are They?!"

I turned to see a Toriel in a navy blue skirt and smart looking blouse marching down the hallway toward us, Princess' Sans practically running to keep up. Well, I suppose we know which Frisk she belongs too.

Asriel shook as he stood, instantly angry. He strode to the doorway of the lab, a violet glow to his eyes as he zeroed in on Sans. Oh boy. "How many times have I told people to warn me when a Toriel was coming on timeline!"

"*uh, sorry, boss man. this one is pretty impromptu. i didn't think that it'd be all that much of a problem for you."

Toriel stopped dead in her tracks, vehemence washed away by the sight of her lost son, full grown. She trembled as her hand came up to her mouth. "As- Asriel?"

Asriel's arms folded over his chest. "The rule doesn't exist for my benefit."

Toriel stepped forward, reaching out.

He stepped back. "I am not your son."

She stopped, her hand dropping as tears formed. Her head fell and she stared at her feet. "I'm- I'm sorry. I know you aren't." She she let out a shuddering breath. "What... What did your mother do differently that you lived?"

Asriel sighed, the angry sliding off his shoulders. "When Chara died, she took him across the barrier."

Her head snapped back up as if the thought of even doing so had never occurred to her.

"And died for her efforts."

Her mouth fell open and she covered her open maw with her hands. She looked to the rest of us, standing there blinking a little. Both of my Frisks reached out, taking either of her hands in comfort.

"Frisk? Please take her to see her daughter." He frowned deeply. "When you are finished with your visit, I need to speak to you about your daughter's physical well being."

Shooting Star stepped forward and took Toriel's arm, turning her toward the stairs. "Come along. Princess will be at lessons with Sophia."

"Princess? You call my child Princess?"

"First thing I ever called her."

Sunshine elbowed me, urging me to follow, and I headed up the stairs after them. Only to curse under my breath. I short cut up the stairs ahead of them. The door to Cross' apartment was open and the I could hear Cross from down the hall, speaking in a language I didn't understand. Sophia answered whatever question was asked in the same language, sounding bored. It was followed by scribbling on a piece of paper, which was Princess writing down her answer.

I snapped my fingers at the ghostly Chara. "Your mother is here."

They sucked in a breath and looked around, a little panicked as Princess smiled and then frowned at their partner's sudden fear.

D looked up from his book. "*It is up to you if you want her to see you or not. If you aren't sure, the kitchen's over there."

The ghost fidgeted for a moment, before flying into the kitchen, hiding behind the door, their Frisk suddenly downcast.

Cross spoke again, continuing the lesson as if there hadn't been an interruption. Sophia answered, just bored as before. Princess wrote down her answer, a bit slower in response.

Toriel watched silently from the door as her daughter lifted the piece of paper to show her work.

"Tres bon. That concludes today's lesson. I would appreciate it if you at least pretended that you were enjoying yourself, Sophia. You are setting a bad example for Princess."

"Yes, Uncle Ethan."

"My Child?"

Princess smiled and hopped down from her chair. She ran to Toriel, hugging her tightly. I walked into the kitchen. Papyrus watched the ghostly Chara with some concern, as they hid at the door.

I sighed. "Go on. Go see her. She won't be able to touch you, but she'll be able to see you at least."

Chara shook their head. "I can't shock mom like that."

"She's already had a bad one seeing Asriel down stairs. You want to see her, go see her. Baring some serious magic, it won't happen on your timeline."

The ghost looked at me. "What was it like? When your mother saw you again?"

I frowned. "My mother's reactions to anything are not a good standard to judge by. I'm from a Fell timeline. After my death she was in no condition to be a mother to anyone. At the very least, she came to understand that."

"But how did she react?"

"With shame. Because even dead and bodiless, I did more for Frisk then she could ever manage."

The ghost frowned at me before taking what looked to be a deep breath, and slowly floating from the kitchen.

"YOUR MOTHER WAS MORE ASHAMED THAT SHE DIDN'T PROTECT YOU WHEN SHE SHOULD HAVE. IT WAS WHY SHE CARRIED YOUR BODY AWAY WITH HER TO THE RUINS."

I snorted, giving D's brother a wry smile. "Both of my Frisks are too loose lipped about me." I headed out the door to watch Toriel's eyes grow wide before her smile caught up.

"*hey there, dead sass. wasn't sure if you'd come out or not."

Toriel moved to hug the ghost, her arms sliding through. Her breath caught for a moment and her face fell.

D stood, brushing off his slacks. "*Allow me." He held up both boney hands and a golden ring of magic appeared between them, filled with a large number of intricate symbols. He threw the golden circle over Toriel, coating her in the glow. It light pulsed for a moment before disappearing. She reached out again, and pulled Chara into a warm hug.

My partner came over to put an arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head against hers. "You stink."

She snorted. "So do you. You want the shower first?"

"You go first."

She sighed. "I know that's code for 'I'm going to raid your cabinets for chocolate while you're distracted."

I smiled. "Always." I followed Frisk down the hall to her apartment. As soon as the door shut, I grabbed her hand, turning her to face me. "It wasn't your fault."

"Chara..."

"Yes, you knew the way to Prime. But so did Bones and Red... and Crow."

She looked at her feet.

"Frisk?"

She said nothing.

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "You know. You know it was Crow."

She squeezed her eyes shut.

A thought occurred to me and I mentally kicked myself. "You're protecting your exemplar." I pulled her close, hugging her to my chest.

She put her arms around me, fists gripping my coat. "It did touch me in a place I... I don't ever want anything near again. But..." She nodded. "Please. Please don't take Crow away!"

I kissed the top of her head. "Crow is a creation of your Determination. I couldn't take him away from you if I tried."

She sniffed, voice low. "You know that's not what I mean."

Fuck. "You know there's monster soul in there."

She nodded.

I almost asked why she didn't say anything and thought better. All other exemplar wielders had the soul of a monster or human attached to it. She'd hide behind her smile, but she never felt like she belonged in the group because Crow was different. But now, even with only half a soul, Crow was just like the rest. A step closer to normal. "When did you know?"

Frisk trembled. "I found his soul in the void, shivering against the infinite blackness. He was only half there and I wasn't sure if he would hold together. I was going to take it to Prime. To show Blue. But..."

"The soul rested in Crow."

"Yes."

She gripped my shirt, eyes pleading. "Don't take him away. Don't make him go."

Oh hell. What do I do? I can't promise anything. But it isn't like the monster in there isn't helping her. It's been devoted to a fault. All right. Switch gears. "Do you know who he is?"

She went silent and completely still.

"Frisk. Do you know who he is?"

She shook her head. "He... He doesn't remember." She sniffed, hugging me fiercely.

My phone alarm went off and I sighed. "Showers are going to have to wait. It's time for the briefing. You okay to go?"

She stepped back, sniffing again and wiped at her eyes, determination coming back as she nodded. We got to the conference room just in time to find seats between my Frisk and 01, though it was likely they'd left them open just for us. My partner reached under the table to grasp 01's hand. He smiled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as Church began.

"We had three encounters today with three different teams. We've learned that this thing is feeding on monster and human souls. When it does, the body left behind is little more than frozen dust. Even the tiniest breeze will knock it down. When the Frisks on each timeline loaded their saves, it brought everyone back, but with only half a soul."

"*fuck," Red growled.

"In every case, the Frisk on timeline was the direct target. Though that may have been about going for the person with the most Determination and therefore the strongest soul."

White snorted. "Then that makes this timeline a freaking buffet."

I blinked. He was right. At current, there were six Frisk's on timeline, four of whom lived here permanently. And that didn't even account for the Frisks who were in and out on an almost constant basis.

"Can we use that as a lure?" Cross asked.

White nodded. "Oh yeah. It's not hard to amplify that. It's essentially putting a big neon sign on the timeline that says 'All You Can Eat!'"

"But we can't do anything until we have a way to contain it," Bones pointed out. "How's that coming along?"

01 squeezed Frisk's hand once more before letting go to pull down his terminal. "I have multiple teams from all over the Foundation working on a new prison and with Delta's help, we've discovered and we can use the original." He turned the terminal so everyone could see the technical read out of the original prison. "This thing is literally carved from the void itself. Entering it and locking the door automatically puts you into a state of suspended animation."

"So how did it wake up?" White asked.

"The locking mechanism on the prison was tampered with enough that it broke a piece off. The magic used to make the prison read that as the door being opened. After that, it was simply a matter of the thing inside figuring out the combination for the rest of the lock. Which, for that particular prison, was a set of timeline alignments with the prison door."

"The Flowey we spoke to at Site Alpha seemed to think that his Sans was the one tampering with the prison? Any idea where he is?" Bones asked.

01 frowned. "We found him... Or more accurately, we found what's left of him, on the Omega timeline. When he was lucid enough to actually answer questions he said he randomly found the prison and his curiosity got the best of him. He hadn't been trying to open it as much as have a peek as to what was inside and broke a piece of the locking mechanism off. The prisons were made to keep people away, so the damage triggered a magical rebound. He's never going to be right again."

"Did he have the piece he broke off?" I asked.

01 shook his head. "It's lost to the void. So we can use the original prison, but it needs a new lock. I've already assigned several research teams to it."

"Great! So what's the plan until then?" White asked.

Church stood. "We still don't know why we can't destroy it, but Delta is adamant that we do everything possible to simply re-contain it. So until further notice, the plan is damage control. It arrives on a timeline and we drive it off. Magic keyed to harm incorporeal beings will damage it and it will escape as fast as possible when it enters a fight with three or more opponents. The sword the human Sans used in the first encounter is something found only on her timeline. However, Cross got Inky to replicate it, so we do have weapons for those of us who can't use magic." She looked to my Frisk. "Any word yet on tracking it?"

She nodded. "I was able to get a signature off of Frisk from when it touched her. I'll have an equation set in twenty four hours." She looked down at her daughter, who gazed up at her with warm brown eyes. "Give or take an hour."

"Does anyone have anything else to add?" Church asked. She looked to her husband. "Bones?"

"Still no luck, Babe."

She nodded. "Meeting adjourned."

As everyone filed out of the room, 01 took Frisk's hand. "I heard you landed a double lutz this morning."

She nodded, managing a small smile.

He pulled her toward him, putting an arm around her and kissing her temple. "Hey. It's okay to be excited about things that make you happy. It doesn't mean we won't take your troubles seriously."

"I know."

"Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"Dinner with the 'rents."

He smiled. "See you tomorrow then?"

Frisk's smile grew. "Definitely."

He winked at her before heading off, making her blush.

My Frisk immediately took his place. "Oooh! You two are so cute!"

I rolled my eyes. "Says the woman with the adorable little baby."

"Provost texted me to say that baby Folwin is more adorable than Amara." She put her hand on her hip and tossed her hair back. "I don't believe her at all."

"Oh no. I guess that means you'll have to go to her timeline and compare. Oh. The torture," I moaned falsely. "Any idea on why Amara didn't change on timeline?"

"Fase said she counted as a monster there. Something about a certain population of monsters on the Delta having a significant amount of human DNA. And Amara has more of Az in her then we originally surmised."

My partner smiled at me, pulling on my hand. "Come on. I'm pretty sure mom and dad have a place set for you."

I shrugged. "They always do." I leaned down to give my niece a kiss on the head before kissing her mother's temple. "I'll see you later, Sunshine."

She waved as we headed back down the hall and up the stairs. The door to the Ossein apartment was open, Princess Frisk sitting at the table with her Toriel having tea together while the ghostly Chara floated next to them. Mr. Ossein sat with Princess' Sans, talking quietly.

Where Church's apartment was intensely feminine in it's vintage glory, and my partner's apartment was beautiful in it's comfort, the Ossein's had a very mid-century American style with patterned wallpaper and simple line furniture. That meant that the kitchen we were heading for was a monstrosity of red wood cabinets and hunter green counter tops. Legitimately awful. Mrs. Ossein loved it though. Frisk and I looked in on her.

"Hey, Mom. Need a hand?"

She smiled at us from the stove. "Always. You take the fruit salad. Chara, the regular salad, please."

We both saluted her before washing our hands. No matter how many times I worked in this kitchen, it always felt a little strange. This was Verdana and Ravie's mother, and I remembered her anguish so long ago at having missed out on raising her own children. Only to end up adopting Shooting Star. And now she and her Sans were caring for Princess and her ghostly Chara. And they were blossoming. In the few months they'd been here, Princess had completely caught up on her schooling and was in much better physical health over all. Her confidence in herself soared. Her Chara was less of a jerk, but I had yet to meet a Chara who wasn't at least a little bit of a weisenheimer.

Myself included.

I opened the fridge and handed Frisk the fruit from the bottom drawer before grabbing the lettuce. She'd given me the easier job. The salad was bagged. I only needed to dump everything into the spinner. The smell of baked, breaded chicken filled the air as Mrs. Ossein pulled it out of the oven. Ah man. Heavenly! I wasn't aware I'd been that hungry. Or maybe it was knowing that dinner was going to be delicious. Frisk and I finished our tasks and went to set the table after Mr. Ossein had put the middle leaf in to extend it for everyone.

Once everyone was seated, Chara resting with their chin on Princess' head and arms draped over her shoulders, Mrs. Ossein looked around. "Do we have everything? Oh, Chara. You don't have a drink." She stood.

Mr. Ossein pointed down with one boney hand. "*sit down, carol."

Frisk snorted. "Just sit, Mom. If Chara wants something, he knows how to raid a kitchen."

I winked at her. "Especially yours."

She pointed at me in warning, but sat down.

Toriel leaned in a little. "Am I missing something? I thought her name was Frisk."

"It is," my partner explained. "Carol is grandma's name and she does that all the time. Mom's just taking after her."

I elbowed her. "I'm wondering when you're going to start."

"I have to get married and have children first."

"*speaking of that, where is he?"

Frisk rolled her eyes. "He's not here, so work, obviously. Chara lives in his office. And now that Provost has convinced her Asriel to move out of his offices to a lovely place in the Waterfall Biome, Chara's officially the most overworked person in the entire cosmos."

Princess giggled and her ghostly Chara fumed. "Hey! You little brat! What do you mean you couldn't imagine me working that hard?"

I laughed before taking a bite of the green bean bake. It practically melted in my mouth. The beans definitely came from Church's garden. So good.

Toriel looked between us. "I am still a little unfamiliar with the idea of other timelines. You are a Frisk as well, correct? How did you come to live here?"

My partner wiped her mouth. "I'm actually a copy of a different Frisk. I was found by a Sans who lives in the void and he put me on a timeline missing it's Frisk. My first memory is falling and being found by that world's Toriel. Rather than let me go alone to face Asgore, she walked me through the Underground. I lived with her for two years before Bones and Church found me. After that, I was adopted by mom and dad and lived here."

Toriel's muzzle trembled and she stumbled over the next question. "D-did you fight... her?"

She shook her head. "No."

"What of the other children?"

"I was only the second to fall. Chara was the first. From what I understand, she passed away after an accident."

Toriel looked at her hands for a moment before looking to me. "You are a Chara, are you not?"

"Yeah."

"Are you from one of the 'swap' worlds I've been told about?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm from the first Fell timeline."

"And how did you come to live here?"

"Oh, I don't live here. I'm an Agent for the Foundation and Shooting Star here is my partner. The Frisk with the baby girl you met earlier? That's my Frisk."

Toriel pushed the food on her plate around a little. "And what is your Toriel like?"

I sighed. "Mom is... better now." I paused. "It isn't a story you want to hear over dinner."

She seemed reassured by that. "Fair enough."

Princess motioned for the salt and I passed it to her, winking as I did so and earning a giggle.

"Then who is the Chara who spoke of earlier?"

Frisk took a sip of water before answering. "The head of the Seraph Foundation."

"And his Toriel?"

"She and King Asgore recognized that something was really wrong with him when he fell and had him in therapy right away. He ended up having a pretty normal childhood."

Toriel pushed the food on her plate around, deep in thought. She looked at her Chara for a moment, before sighing.

Mr. Ossein changed the topic. *i heard that my little girl landed a double lutz today." He gave Frisk a big smile.

She blushed, smiling with pride. "No wobble."

Princess scribbled on a piece of paper and held it up. 'It was amazing! She was all woosh and zing!'

Frisk rubbed her head. "If you want, I'll take you over to watch when I practice with the other competitors. Then you'll see some great stuff."

Princess nodded enthusiastically.

The ghostly Chara snorted. "You compete? You'd think you'd have managed the jump sooner." Frisk reached over and pinched Chara's arm, lips pursed in mock annoyance. They swatted at her with smile, mock fighting.

Mr. Ossein whistled sharply and pointed. "*chara. frisk."

"Sorry."

"*just because i took down frisk's skating ribbons and trophies so the two of you could make the room your own, does not mean they don't exist. be appreciative of the hard work of others."

Chara nodded at the chiding.

Frisk shook her head. "It's all right, Dad. Chara's just being Chara." She looked at the ghost. "There's a particular skill that evades everyone, including the greats. Toe jumps gave me a lot of trouble when I first started them and I still miss the single Lutz. Papyrus and I don't even use them in competition unless they're required." She rubbed Princes' head. "How were your lessons today?"

Princess scribbled on the paper again and held it up. 'Really good. I can't wait until I can talk again so I can really practice my French.' She scribbled again. 'Did Mr. D teach you too?'

Frisk shook her head. "I went to the same charter school Verdana and Ravie went too. So, what's your favorite subject since being here?"

She scribbled again. 'Science!'

Both Toriel and Sans blinked, staring at her. It wasn't an answer they'd expected. Well, they hadn't been here for the day I helped D build a massive vinegar volcano in the parking lot. Watching that thing go up had been enough to make anyone think science was the best subject ever.

Princess scribbled some more. "It's the best! Mr. D does lots of experiments and field trips that involve observing everything and recording it.' She held up a hand for a moment before jumping out of her chair. She ran into the bedroom that had once belonged to Frisk and came back out with a massive science journal. She scribbled on the paper again. 'And he let's me draw my observations!'

She opened the book to show off a wide array of detailed drawings, everything from animals to crystals. She scribbled on her paper again. 'Mr. Cross' art lessons have really helped. I now know how to really draw what I see.' She smiled brightly.

Toriel looked over the lab journal, turning through the pages. "This is far and above your grade level."

"That's normal for private tutoring," Mrs. Ossein said. "The individualized attention means that she learns at her pace and has time to explore things that really interest her. "

Princess nodded, beaming with pride.

Toriel smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "So you saw Frisk ice skating today?"

Princess scribbled on her paper again. 'Yes! Mr. Papyrus and Mr. Bones take Sophia, Brandon, and me ice skating and roller skating a lot.'

"And what other activities do you do?"

'Camping, hiking, and swimming at the lake, visiting museums, going to the fairs in town. Lots of things!'

"And you feel well enough to go? What about your episodes?"

Princess shrugged and looked at Mrs. Ossein.

She gave Toriel a reassuring smile. "Frisk hasn't had an episode in months. She's in good health and has a healthy appetite. Asriel can give you a detailed report on her medical record and her improvements."

Toriel looked down at Princess, who gave her a bright, cheery smile. She scribbled on the paper. 'I like it here. It's like having a family with me away from home.'

And there it was. That 'baby bones' thing. Everyone fitting everyone else into the most appropriate place in each other's lives. Princess was becoming Frisk's little sister the same way Frisk had become Vivi and Ravie's little sister. I watched Toriel as the realization hit her. She smiled but it was there if you knew what you were looking at. I'd seen it enough on my own mother's face. The horror of abject failure. Her child had gone to live with a different family and blossomed under their care. Even the scars were starting to fade.

She petted Frisk's head with a soft smile. "Thank you very much for dinner. Sans? It's time we go home."

He frowned, but nodded. "*sure thing, tori. come here, kiddo." He opened his arms and Princess gave him a hug. "*keep a good eye on the kid, dead sass."

Chara nodded, giving him a thumbs up. Toriel hugged both of her children and gently touched their faces before she left.

Princess frowned and scribbled on her paper. 'Did I make her mad?'

Mr. Ossein sighed. He saw it. He knew what was happening. "*no, honey. it's hard for a parent to see their child growing up far from them, that's all."

For a variety of Fell Sans, he really knew what to say and when to say it. A lot like Red always knew the right words. I wondered how close he was in variation to my Sans.

Mrs. Ossein clapped her hands once to draw our attention. "Tonight is smores at the fire pit. Are you ready?"

Princess smiled and nodded happily. Even her ghostly Chara looked excited.

I elbowed Frisk. "We still need those showers. And then you promised to cut my hair."

"After doing the dishes."

Oh. So we were doing this today? She is feeling better.

Mr. Ossein's eye sockets narrowed. "*oh no you don't. don't you touch my dishes."

She giggled and picked up her plate.

"*i'm warning you, shooting star."

She stood, smile huge, and dashed to the kitchen door only to skid to a halt in front of his teleport. He held out his hand and she stuck her tongue out as she handed the plate to him. I stood and handed him my plate, only to have him wave us both in close.

"*i've got a bad feeling." He looked over at Princess for a moment and then at me. "*can you stick around tonight?"

I nodded. "I was planning too."

He nodded. "*good."

"So what's the bad feeling?"

He shrugged. "*can't really describe it. but it's the same one i get before she has an episode."

Frisk and I looked at each other. Yeah. This was just the kind of emotional high and low that would trigger the Determination being in her head.

"We'll see you in a bit for smores. Are you sure you don't want help with the dishes?"

His shoulders dropped with his mock frown. "*git."

Frisk giggled as we headed out the door. She took my hand in the hall, pulling me along, her smile softening. "Will you... will you help me talk to Crow? I know it's a stupid thing to ask-"

"Of course."

She brightened, long black hair swinging.

"Your little siblings are really coming along."

"I know, right?" Frisk stopped dead. "Oh my God. It's happening. The baby bones thing. Blue said it would, but I didn't even notice." Crestfallen, she sighed. "Poor Toriel."

I rubbed Frisk's arm. "She'll learn to deal with it in her own time. Maybe this will be the impetus she needs to fix herself so she can be the mom Princess needs." I pushed her through the doorway to her apartment. "Hurry up with the shower. Your mom said smores and I intend to be there for them."

A little while later, and much cleaner, Frisk was brushing out my hair while I snacked on a smore. The marshmallow fresh from the fire, it melted the chocolate and I kept having to lick my fingers. Oh, the horror.

Chara floated around me, their ghostly eyes a little glazed as they watched Frisk tied off the long end of my hair before pulling out a pair of hardcore shears. Yeah, Princess eating chocolate was always enough to put their ghostly partner in temporal bliss. "Why tie it off? That doesn't seem to make it easier to cut."

She shook her head. "Well, no. But it does make it easier to donate." She made a couple snips and my head felt instantly lighter. Putting the big shears away, she rolled out her nice set of scissors and went to work making me look more like me.

"I thought you went to medical school."

"I did. One of my classmates in med was a beautician." She lifted the hair around my face and started trimming. "He didn't want to be one, but it was all his parents could afford for him. So he went, worked until he had enough money to go to med school, and enrolled." She cut around the sides evening my hair out. "He taught me lots about cutting hair in exchange for baked goods."

"Is he a doctor now?"

She nodded. "Yept. He's a cardiologist." She pushed my head forward to shave the back of my neck. "That means he specializes in the heart and circulatory system."

The ghost nodded and continued to watch, mesmerized. Maybe even a little high. Oh yeah. All Chara's were that way about chocolate. Every single one of us. Even dead, I craved it. When my Frisk would have some, which wasn't all that often with her childhood health problems, it was enough to leave me in a blissful state. She'd told me once that when I was in such a state, it felt like someone was rubbing a teddy bear on the inside of her skull. It was the most comfortable feeling in the world.

Frisk came around to kneel in front of me and checked make sure both sides were cut evenly. I winked at her and she smiled as she stood. Using a towel, she brushed the cut hair from my shoulders and back off of my shirt.

"Thank you."

"Certainly. Sorry I took so long to get a round to it."

"No worries, Shooting Star."

Princess yanked on my sleeve. I looked down and she pointed to Frisk, making a motion like a falling star.

"Why do I call her that?"

Princess nodded.

I shrugged. "Because we found her in the void and she's like a bright star zipping by."

"Maybe not so much lately," Frisk said.

"*you're doing just fine, honey." Mr. Ossein said. "*don't rush it."

"Thanks, Dad." She sat next to me, watching the fire in the pit, listening to the crackle and pop of the wood as the sky turned a bright pink with the setting sun.

Princess sat down in her lap, Chara's ghostly form hanging off of both of them. Eventually, everyone who lived on premises joined us down at the fire, making for a nice evening in the summer warmth. When Frisk was ready to turn in, I followed her back inside.

"Do I need to put sheets on the bed in the guest room?"

She shook her head. "No." She took my hand, trembling a little as she closed the door to the apartment.

"Cuddle meter low?"

She nodded and hugged me, laying her head on my chest. "Thank you. For putting up with me."

I held her, petting her hair. Man but she needed cuddles like my Frisk did. "I'm never just 'putting up' with you. I genuinely enjoy all you throw at me." She looked up at me and I smiled. "Veg on the couch to a bad movie until we pass out?"

She nodded.

Somewhere in the middle of a Hammer Horror flick, Frisk fell asleep on my shoulder. I turned so I could lay back on the couch and turned the tv off to sleep. I woke to a hazy gray morning seeping in through the windows. Frisk had turned over in her sleep, her face against my chest, drooling on my shirt. The night had gone quietly. I rubbed Frisk's back in her sleep.

"Crow? Come out, please."

The exemplar appeared, just as massive as always. The purple eyes watched me, but even with the mask, I could tell his face was just as expressionless as always.

"Who are you?"

He cocked his head to the side.

"Do you not understand the question?"

No movement. I thought of a better question.

"Do you remember who you are?"

He shook his head.

"Do you remember attaching yourself to Frisk?"

He nodded.

"Why did you attach yourself to her?"

He held up his hands to make the shape of a heart.

"You recognize her soul?"

He shook his head.

"Her soul felt familiar?"

He nodded. Interesting. How does a soul connected to the void feel familiar to someone? Unless he was a Gaster who wasn't completely blasted across the cosmos. I had seen him helping her in the lab. That might make sense. I'll have to ask Church. She's the one who figures that stuff out.

"Do you remember anything of yourself?"

He nodded.

"What do you remember?"

Before he could answer, someone banged on the front door. Mr. Ossein let himself in as Frisk blinked awake.

"Same as last time?" I asked.

He shook his skull. "*no. this one is different. when the episode started, she created a barrier around herself. i can't get through it. bones and d are looking at it now."

Frisk, still groggy, reached for her water bottle and took a few gulps. I pulled her up and helped her down the hall. Inside Princess and Chara's room, I could vaguely make out Princess' shape inside a murky, black oval. Like a large egg. Her Chara held her tightly, locked in their shared nightmare.

"What the hell?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Bones answered me.

Sophia, still in her pajamas, banged on the barrier. "Come on, Frisk! Open up! We can't help you if you don't open up!"

Frisk touched the barrier. "Woah. I can't even feel her inside of it. It feels like... the void?" She pressed her face hard to it. "She's breathing, but I can't make out anything more."

"*we need to get it open. the last episode had her close to heart failure."

Bones shook his skull. "We aren't getting through this in anything like a decent amount of time. We need to go around it."

Frisk looked at him. "How?"

"Call your boyfriend and tell him we need the dog monster who can make portals through video games."

Frisk blinked and pulled out her phone.

01 picked up before the first ring even finished. "Hey, Star. What's up?"

"My sister is having an episode and she's made a barrier around herself. We need the dog monster who can make portals with video games to get around it."

"Be there in a few minutes."

Bones and D kept working at the barrier until 01 appeared, the pale brown, dog monster with him. What was his name again? Max, right?

He looked over the barrier, squinting inside, as his paws felt it out. "What am I looking at here?"

01 squeezed Frisk's hand as he pulled down a terminal. "This barrier is woven with void. How did a nine year old do that?"

"That's a really good question," Bones answered.

Max looked at us. "What caused her to make this?"

Mr. Ossein stepped up to the barrier, his metal hand resting on it. "*frisk has a being made from her own determination in her head. it attacks her when she's emotionally overloaded, attempting to get her to reset."

He looked at Frisk. "Was her journey through the Underground that awful?"

I frowned. "She has full memory of and carries the scars of every death she's ever suffered."

He sucked in a breath through his snout. "Christ!" He looked back. "I think I can get you around this, but I need a destination. There isn't enough room inside there for another person."

"Can you get us in her subconscious?" I asked.

Max blinked. "I... I don't think..." His eyes suddenly glowed excitedly, tail wagging. "Oh, I want to try that!" He turned, looking around the room, going through Princess' things. "I need to know about her. Tell me everything you've got."

"She likes to draw and spend time up at the cabin," Sophia said.

Frisk watched her little sister through the barrier, silently counting Princess' breathes per minute. "She likes to play video games. She spends a lot of time on Minecraft."

"She likes to bake," Mrs. Ossein added from the door.

Max stopped, staring at the entire wall of pictures Provost had taken of Princess and Sophia when they'd raided Church's closet to play dress up. "Oh, she likes to be a pretty princess."

"Does that make things easier?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. What I'm going to do is apply her life as a 'skin' over Minecraft. That should resonate enough with her that it opens a way. I'll walk everyone through the world to the portal."

D hand up a boney hand. "*Hold up the enthusiasm. We have another problem here."

"What's that?"

"*She's a child and she's already supporting someone else's soul on top of the thing made from her determination. A whole bunch of people can't just go in. Only two of us should go and it should be two of us that she'll immediately recognize as help."

Frisk turned away from the barrier to grab my hand. "Chara and I will go."

Max pulled out his phone, loading the pocket edition of Minecraft and building a mod. "What kitchen does she typically bake in?"

"Mine," Mrs. Ossein said. "This way."

Max followed her out of the bedroom, across the living room, and into the kitchen. His jaw dropped. He turned to Mrs. Ossein. "You know this is legitimately ugly, right?"

She smiled. "And I love it."

Eyes wide, Max continued to program the mod. "Okay. And... done." He looked to Frisk and I. "Ready?"

Frisk nodded.

He smiled. "Now the fun part!" He pulled us close to him and suddenly we stood in a blocky cherry red and hunter green kitchen. A Minecraft wolf stood on its hind legs in front of block versions of Frisk and I. "Okay. If I did this right, that door," He pointed to the door that, in the real world, lead to the laundry room, "should lead directly into your sister's head. You will be able to enter and exit through it and it will appear as a massive red door on the other side." He pointed to the door that led to the living room. "That's the way out. I'll wait here for you to come back through."

"Thank you," Frisk said.

Max nodded. "I'm happy my anomalous nature can help."

I took Frisk's hand. "Ready?"

She nodded once, eyes filled with Determination. "Ready."

We went through the door.

And stepped into a large, grassy meadow filled with wildflowers. I knew this place. It was the same in every timeline. The meadow that led to the cave on Mt. Ebott. The one that hid the massive sink hole. The one I'd thrown myself down.

Frisk pointed to the ground. "There are drops of blood everywhere." She pulled me along. "Come on."

We followed the trail of blood and out of nowhere a small cottage painted a bright, sky blue appeared. I recognized it from when she sat in with Cross on an art stream, drawing as he gave her little bits of help. There were bloody hand prints on the white door. Oh hell.

"Oooooh what do we have here? Intruders? You don't belong here."

The hair stood up on the back of my neck and I summoned my sword as I turned with the stroke. A creature that appeared to be half of Princess and half of her Chara bisected down the middle slid out of the reach of my blade, laughing. A black ichor dripped from it's slash of a mouth and empty eye sockets. Crow immediately appeared behind it, slamming it hard enough to send it flying across the field. While it recovered, I knelt and touched some of the ichor that fell to the ground. It was slick and disgusting, but it wasn't the manifestation of a Chara's Determination. Simply a mockery of it.

The thing rose from the ground, a little like a puppet pulled around by strings. An array of glowing red saw blades appeared around it's head.

It pointed at us. "Die."

The blades flew at us. Frisk and I hit the ground only to have the blades embed in the walls of the cottage. There was a muffled cry of fear from inside. Frisk gasped and hopped to her feet to run for the door, ignoring the danger behind her. I jumped up and ran after her, Crow holding our backs against additional blades. Frisk got to the door and turned the knob. Locked. Frisk took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"It's me."

She touched the door and the lock turned, opening under her hand. She pushed the door open to a full out scream and Chara slammed into her, attempting to keep her out. I put my hands on Frisk's back and the two of us pushed in, the door shutting behind us. Princess was curled up on the floor of a bright white living room with a rainbow striped couch. She looked through her fingers and started when she saw us.

"Frisk?"

Frisk immediately whisked her up, holding her tightly. "Princess! It's okay! We're real! I promise!"

Princess looked up at her with wide eyes and then buried her face in Frisk's chest, crying.

I turned to Chara. "Are you all right?"

They nodded. "Sorry."

"For what? Trying to kick us out? That was the smart thing to do." I knocked on the wall with on fist. "It can't get in here, can it?"

"No. I thought it'd figured a way in when you came through the door." They frowned, suddenly looking desperately scared. "Frisk is hurt and I don't know how to help her."

I looked to Frisk. She was inspecting a nasty looking wound on the child's stomach.

I turned back to Chara. "This is your shared mind space. Imagine a plate full of cinnamon bunnies just came out of the oven."

The ghost blinked at me. "It doesn't work that way."

I gestured to the coffee table. "I'm waiting."

Chara frowned, angry. They pointed at the table. "Even if I imagined a plate full of cinnamon bunnies, how are they going to help us?"

Frisk grabbed a cinnamon bunny from the plate that appeared on the coffee table. "Here. Eat this. It'll help."

Princess took the bunny, and with perfect faith, ate it. The wound in her stomach closed, though a long, thin scar remained. Chara's mouth hung open, staring at the Frisk. I patted their shoulder. "You always have what you need to take care of your Frisk. Always. Don't let 'you' get in the way of that."

Frisk wiped the tears from Princess' eyes. "Do you know you made a barrier around yourself?"

She nodded.

"Why did you make the barrier?"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

She could talk? Oh. Duh. Of course she could. We were in her mind. Focus, Chara. Focus.

Frisk smiled and petted her head. "Haven't mom and dad always been enough to handle it?"

Princess sniffed, nodding.

"And really, do you think you could hurt D, or Bones, or even Cross if you tried?"

She shook her head.

"That's right. The one time you flipped out on our Alphys, she just held you under one foot until I sedated you. Everyone here is more than prepared to handle you." Frisk looked around. "This is a nice place you got here. Did you have fun creating it?"

Princess nodded and started to smile.

"Well, that thing out there is messing up your nice paint job. Are you going to let that continue?"

"But I can't stop it!" she cried, hiccuping as the tears came.

Frisk took Princess' hands in hers, cooing to her until she calmed down. "You made it. You can stop it."

"But the last time I tried, I just went..."

Frisk petted her head. "No mercy?"

She nodded.

"Listen. You made that thing. If it scares you so much that you can't fight it, make something to fight it for you." Frisk smiled. "Remember when we went camping at Yons Lake and we saw that huge, bone dragon in the mist over the lake?"

I remembered that morning. I'd been helping Church fish the foil wrapped muffins out of the fire when a massive, bone dragon rose from the lake, tail whipping through the water. Princess hadn't been scared at all. Instead, she and Chara had been mesmerized by it, following it down the shore a bit. I'm pretty sure they still didn't know it was D pranking them.

"Remember how cool that was?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, you imagine that dragon, beating snot out of that thing out there."

"YEAH!" Princess' eyes glowed brightly with Determination.

The ground shook for a moment. And then it shook again. Before a dragon's roar pierced the air and the ground shook from the repeated stomps of a dragon running full force for the thing attacking the house. Frisk picked Princess up and walked her to window to watch her creations duke it out. The being born of the combined fears, desires, and determination of the kids had absolutely no idea what to do with the dragon currently mauling it. Its attempts to fight back were crushed under the insane amount of shear force the dragon brought to bear. The thing managed to get away just enough to turn tail and run, disappearing into the nothing beyond the edges of the meadow.

Princess squealed with delight as Chara cheered, fist pumping the air. Frisk held up her hand and I fist bumped her.

"What do I do with the dragon?"

Frisk thought about it for a minute. "Why don't you have him make a nice little home here in the meadow so whenever you need him, he's right here to help."

Princess smiled. "Yes!"

Frisk rubbed her nose against Princess,' earning a giggle. "It's time for you to wake up now. Everyone's waiting."

"How will you get out?" Princess looked around. "How did you get here?"

"Remember the Chara who comes around to have dinner with us sometimes?"

"You mean your boyfriend?"

"Yes. There's a dog monster who lives in his building that can make ways in and out of things. He made a way into your head for us and we can leave the same way."

"I've got a question," Chara started. "How do we wake up? We've never been able to really figure that part out."

"Decide you're ready for breakfast," I answered.

The ghost thought about that and nodded. I opened the door and we walked outside. The bone dragon had laid down and was napping peacefully in the meadow. Princess ran over to the dragon and touched his skull, petting the snout. She looked up when Chara pointed to a large, red door.

"What is that?"

"That's our way out," I said. I patted Princess' head. "You did really good. Wake up, get some breakfast. You really need to eat." Frisk's stomach growled. "And so do we."

She nodded, giggling, and hugged the dragon's snout tightly. Even Chara was enamored with it, petting its huge skull.

I took Frisk's hand and we went through the red door. Max, in all his Minecraft wolf on two legs glory, waited for us.

"I take it, it worked."

"Like a charm, man. Thanks."

"Sure!" He opened the blocky door to the living room and we stood in Mrs. Ossein's kitchen again. We ran into Princess and Chara's shared room. The barrier around the kids melted away as Princess sat up. Bones, D, and 01 backed out of the way to let the Osseins in.

Sophia instantly jumped on her and hugging fiercely enough to make her fall backward. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"

Mr. Ossein knelt next to the bed. "*you all right, kiddo?"

Princess nodded. Her stomach grumbled loudly, causing her to blush brightly in embarrassment.

Mrs. Ossein petted her head. "How about some breakfast? Pancakes with strawberries?"

Princess nodded.

01 took her hand. "Do you think you could make that barrier again?"

She thought about for a minute before nodding.

"You thinking what D and I are thinking?" Bones asked.

01 nodded as he smiled. "Oh yeah. I think I just found the prison's new lock."


	10. Ep 10 The Monster in the Basement

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. Inktale Sans (mentioned quite a bit though does not appear) belongs to Comyet. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk and Chara belong to ilanitalia!

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 10 - The Monster in the Basement  
(C is our narrator!)

Frisk shot out of bed, breathing rapidly, and jolting me completely out of sleep. The world in her head lurched to the side, and I fell against the wall in my room. Crap! She was trying to get up when she wasn't really awake.

I dropped the A.I. interface and went for direct possession to steady Frisk as she lurched for the kitchen. She fought me for control and hit the counter, hand sliding across it to hit the magnetic knife rack on the wall. She cried out and pulled her hand to her chest, breathing through clenched teeth.

A boney arm wrapped around her waist and a skeletal hand came up gently hold her fingers. Frisk spun around, bloody fingers grabbing at Bones' rib cage desperately.

"I've never reset, Sans! I swear I haven't!"

Sans? Oh hell. She never uses his name. How bad a nightmare was it that I managed to sleep through it?

Bones gently took her injured fingers in his boney hand, healing magic swelling between them as he pulled her close. "Shhh. It's okay, Sunflower. I know you haven't reset." He petted her long hair with his free hand. "You just had a bad dream, that's all."

Frisk pressed her face against his ribs, the sliced flesh of her fingers knitting back together. He brought her healed fingers up to his mouth for what amounted to a kiss for him. Tears welled in her eyes and fell silently as he picked her up and carried her bridal style into her bedroom.

Okay. I knew where this was going. Rolling her was Bones' go to for comforting her after a nightmare. Which meant he thought I was still out. I stopped for a moment and thought about what I wanted to do. Going back to sleep was out. For lacking a physical body, I still found myself 'wired' on occasion and right now I was jittery. It was one in the morning, so lots of people were still up.

I hopped over to the Lab, projecting my hologram on my brother's shoulder. "Hey, Az."

He was looking at something under his microscope. "Howdy, Chara. Can't sleep?"

"Frisk had a nightmare so bad it woke me up. And, uh, well... you know."

He smiled a little, eyes never moving from the scope. "I apologize. I hadn't thought of that when I put the implants in her head."

"Well, you didn't know it was really me in there either."

"Good point. Any idea what the dream was about?"

I shook my head. "She just kept swearing to Bones that she's never reset."

Ossein came in the lab in her Pokemon jammies, yawning. "Hey, Az. May I have a bag of Golden Flower tea? I've run out."

"Can't sleep?" I asked.

"Oh, hey C! And no. Had a really weird dream."

Asriel adjusted the slide under the scope. "Sure. You know where I keep it."

I popped over to her shoulder. "What was the dream about?"

She pulled out the box of tea from the cabinet over the sink. "You know the Sans that lives in the void?"

"Error?"

"Yeah. Him. I had a dream were I'd killed everyone I'd come across and was facing him in a glittering, golden hallway. And woah, was it a fight!"

Asriel looked up from the scope. "Did you feel like the timeline was your own in the dream?"

"Yeah. Though I can't remember specifics, it felt like it was supposed to be my world." She shrugged. "Weird dream, huh?" She pulled out a bag of the tea and put the box back, jumping a little to get it into place.

Asriel sat back and pulled out his phone and paused when he saw Cross walk by the door. "Frisk?"

Cross backed up and looked in the lab, a little pale in the face. "Yes?"

"Did you just have a nightmare of fighting D in the golden hallway?"

"Yeah." He looked at Ossein for a moment and then back to Asriel. "I dreamt that I'd killed everyone I came across and Sans was looking to take me down." He frowned. "I've reset a lot, but I've never..." He trailed off. "I've fought Sans as a dragon, but never as a human skeleton."

Ossein pulled out her cellphone and started texting. Less than a minute later it rang. "Hey Chara. Yeah. She had it too?" She looked at Asriel. "Fell Frisk had the dream. And apparently scared the hell out of Red when she busted in on him to make sure he was okay." Suddenly she blanched. "Oh no! Princess!"

She short cut away and I followed her to Princess' room, hanging in the wifi without a projector. The child sat in the middle of her bed, crying while her ghostly Chara tried to sooth her. Ossein sat on the bed and pulled the girl onto her lap. "It's okay, Princess. It was just a bad dream."

"A, a, aa-ah!"

Ossein kissed the top of her head. "You dreamed you'd killed everyone on your journey and were fighting Sans in the great golden hallway, right?"

Princess sniffed and nodded, blinking.

"Yeah. A bunch of us had that dream. It's okay. Mom's probably in the kitchen right now, making herself a cup of tea after having the same one." She picked the girl up. "Come on. Let's get you some chamomile tea and tuck you back in bed."

Heading out into a kitchen that would make the eyes of lesser men bleed, we found Mrs. Ossein making tea as predicted. Here, in the soft quiet of night, you could hear the whirl and click of the mechanical parts of her skeleton. Yeah. Her Dr. Gaster had been a real piece of work. From what I understood of her timeline, Gaster had made a deal with Flowey to give him a real body in exchange for capturing and bringing all humans to him. Sans had found her in the Lab and had been forced to wait until Gaster had finished his experiments just to help her escape. That she'd been in literal pieces. While Mrs. Ossein didn't mind talking about it, her husband wouldn't, even going so far as to leave the room if the topic came up.

I heard the ping of someone calling me, followed by a tug on my hand. Or what amounted to the same. Lacking an actual physical nature, my body was merely an extension of memory. It's what my soul remembered me looking like, and I was sixteen years old the last time I looked into a mirror. But Fase, having a soul of her own, could interact with me on that level and had chosen too after Bones had yelled at her for saying that she wasn't real.

She stood next to me, holding my hand. The projection of her soul appeared older than her usual fair, a teen in a long dress rather than a child in shorts and a striped shirt. She'd been doing that for a while now and, I'd noticed, just for me.

"Hello!" I turned and took both her hands in mine.

She stared at her feet saying nothing.

"Did you have the dream too?"

She looked up at me and a voice that held none of it's normal creepiness flowed from her lips. "How? How did I dream? Dreaming is a biological function. I do not sleep. And yet, I dreamt."

I smiled, swinging her arms a little. "Of course you dream. I dream. I even sleep. And you're like me, a soul attached to a program." I put an arm around her shoulders, and was struck by the strangeness of it. Was it only me that could touch her? Did physical contact even matter to her? She didn't seem to care about it but she made a point of touching me when we spoke. "Does the content of the dream bother you or does the fact that you can dream bother you?"

"That I can dream."

I took a moment and summoned that place she and I had created in that space between our souls and our programming. It was a self contained room, but while we sat in it, appeared to be an endless, night sky over a grassy hill. I sat her down on the quilt laid over the grass and leaned in, resting my head against hers. "You are a real person, Frisk. You dream like we all do."

"I wasn't meant too." She lifted a hand and her soul came forward, bright red. "What did my Father want for me? Did He mean for me to feel this lonely?"

"From everything your Sans has ever said about him, I doubt that he ever meant for you to feel lonely or be alone." I booped her nose with a finger. "And you aren't alone. There are a couple of us just like you."

She shook her head. "No. No one is just like me. But you. You are the closest." She leaned against me. "And you are the only one who can explain these things to me."

"Why is that?"

"Because you lived. I was just there one day." She looked up at the stars overhead. "I need to go. I need to find out why all the Frisks and all the swap Chara's had the same dream." She looked at me. "Did you have the dream?"

"No."

"The other counter parts didn't seem to have it either." She sighed. "May I visit you later?"

I smiled. "Always."

She disappeared suddenly and I wandered out of our little space to look around. I was still in the Ossein apartment, but everything was dark. Everyone had gone back to bed. I popped back down to the lab where my brother was still working and Ossein was sipping her tea, leaning back against one of the lab tables. I projected onto my brother's shoulder again, yawning a little.

"Where'd you disappear too?"

I sat down. "I followed Frisk upstairs to the Ossein residence. And then I ended up talking to Fase. Even she had the dream. She was more disturbed that she could dream though."

My brother smiled. "So when are you two going to start officially dating?"

"Az!"

Ossein snorted, but said nothing, smiling into her mug, while Cross shook his head over his bowl of soup, smile knowing.

Asriel chuckled as he wrote down his observations. "Oh, come on! Every time she finds something even mildly disturbing, she practically runs to you."

I was about to argue and stopped to think about that. He was right. Fase and I had literally made a place in the code between us, just for us to hang out in. And the avatar she used for spending time with me was only for me. I'm not sure how I feel about all that. Time to change the subject. "All the Frisks and Swap Charas had the dream. But the counterparts did not."

"That's not encouraging. That means someone caused it."

I frowned. "My bet is on that thing. It's looking for the souls with the most determination. What if it did something to make them all emotionally distraught. Maybe that makes them visible."

Cross and Ossein's phones went off at the same time. Ossein fished hers out of her hoodie pocket. "We're on."

Cross stood. "Are you all right to go?"

She nodded once, setting her mug at the sink before heading to the door.

I popped over to her shoulder. "One of you put a comm on. I'm coming with you."

Cross paused as he put his dish in the sink. "Won't that wake up Church? You do live in her head."

I smirked. "Yeah. She's out pretty cold right now so... no."

Asriel covered his eyes with one hand. "Again. I'm so very sorry."

I pouted. "You know what? Bite me, Goat."

"Let's go, C!" Ossein called as she headed out the door. I followed her and Cross down the hall to the equipment room. After pulling on her armor and uniform, she attached one of my memory cores to her jacket and I settled in, projecting onto her shoulder. They armed themselves with the new weapons Inky created just for fighting the thing before grabbing onto each other's arms and stepping into the void.

In a flash, color and light came back together in a parking lot next to a beach resort. It was a bright and sunny day without a cloud in the sky. The air over the pavement appeared wavy in the heat. I could hear the sound of the ocean crashing, but nothing else. No one on the beach. Nothing from the resort itself. Cross spotted someone waving at us and we ran in their direction. It was a teen Chara no older than I had been when I died. His brownish red eyes looked us over.

"Seraph right?"

We all nodded.

"This tall, thin creature appeared and started after my brother. He's been leading it on a wild goose chase through the resort. When you're ready, I'll text him and that'll let him know to lead it right out onto the resort's outdoor bar area right over there." He pointed toward a large, open deck surrounded by fencing and pools.

Cross nodded. "We're ready."

"Good, because it's been really quiet in there."

Cross and Ossein jumped the fence to the deck while Chara texted. Cross tapped her shoulder. "Distract it and I'll work at it from the back. If it goes for this world's Frisk, concentrate on protecting him."

"Got it."

"Let Crow do what ever he wants."

She nodded and they both readied themselves. For several long, nerve wracking minutes, nothing. And then a glass door above us shattered. A teen Frisk only a little younger than his Chara, flew like a bat out of hell out of the doors on the overlook above us. He vaulted the railing and held on just long enough to slow his momentum down so that he hit the awning over the bar. He rolled off of it and dashed for us. Ossein motioned for him and he ducked behind her as the thing shot through the air over our heads. It landed on the far end of the deck like an enormous drop of water hitting the ground and rose, fully formed. It shot toward us only to teeter suddenly. The slash of a smile on its face grew wide and it sighed when it saw Ossein.

Her sword already in her hand, she waited as it drew near, sliding past Cross as if he wasn't even there. It loomed over us, cooing in a strange way. One long arm reached out toward her and she swiped at it, the sword connecting to cleave the limb off. It sucked in a harsh breath, but the smile did not fade. The severed limb turned to inky darkness as it hit the ground and returned to him, reforming. Next came several tentacles and Cross used the moment to attack from behind, his sword slicing the monster clean in half.

The body fell to the ground like water. As it reformed, the tentacles shot out again, grabbing Ossein's arms, holding them still. Cross severed the tentacles as Crow appeared. The exemplar slammed a fist into that smiling face and sent it backwards, skidding across the ground. It changed again to the watery state and reformed, shooting multiple tentacles toward Crow. An array of six purple orbs held by floating hands appeared around Crow's bulky frame for just a moment before they let off a violet blast that slammed the thing hard enough to crash it solidly into the deck.

The thing escaped into the void. Crow, looking uncharacteristically exhausted, disappeared.

I blinked rapidly. I'd seen that kind of attack before. Red's father had used in defense of his beloved daughter. Iris had used it when someone had threatened Daisy and her children. The Gaster of Steam's world had used it when someone had threatened the twins. And Bones had once used it during a mission when Frisk had been seriously injured in a fight. It was an attack a Gaster used to defend his or her loved ones. A Gaster had taken up residence in Crow, and, holy fuck, it really cared about her.

The thing gone, Ossein let out a breath and turned to the teen Frisk. "You okay, stunt man?"

"I'm fine. What about you? I mean, holy hell! That thing just kept coming right for you like you were the best thing since sliced bread! I don't think it was really trying to hurt you as much as touch you."

She nodded. "Yeah. And I don't know why, but we've been able to use that fascination to distract the thing when it lands on a timeline."

The teen Chara jumped the fence, running over hug his brother for a moment before punching him in the arm. "Jerk." He looked at us. "So now what?"

"Did it suck out anyone's souls?" Cross asked.

Frisk shook his head. "No. It saw me right away and I led it away from everyone while Mom and Dad evacuated the resort. Undyne and Papyrus helped keep it busy while Sans made sure I had a way to keep running." He frowned, looking back. "It's a real mess in there, so I'll load my save from this morning when Sans says it's okay."

Ossein nodded. "One last thing, did you dream of fighting Sans in the golden hall?"

He frowned, looking to Chara for a minute before looking back at us. "Yeah. I did." He looked between her and Cross. "Did you guys dream that too?"

They both nodded.

"Woah. I don't even know what to make of that."

"Neither do we," I said. "But someone's working on figuring it out."

Chara looked at my hologram. "That's a pretty sweet hologram. Are you her Chara?"

I shook my head. "Nah. My Frisk is sleeping right now. I'm just along for the ride to gather information."

Ossein reached out, ruffling Frisk's hair. "You two stay safe. We need to head back."

Both gave her big smiles as Cross put a hand on her shoulder and we disappeared into the void. We landed inside the equipment room.

Cross began putting his equipment away. "So what's up with Crow?"

Ossein frowned and said nothing.

Cross sighed. "Okay, I'm not as good at this as Church, but I'm no slouch. We know that the monster soul in Crow is how the thing found the coordinates to Prime. And that attack is something I've only ever seen a Gaster or Gaster connected Sans lay down. So I'm guessing you have half a Gaster in there." He turned to her, leaning against the shelf with his arms crossed over his chest. "You don't need to hide it or take the blame for something that is literally no one's fault. No one is going to force you give up Crow or separate the monster soul from him. But it is no coincidence that that thing out there is super interested in you at the same time that Crow is suddenly very powerful."

She sighed, half falling as she sat on the bench. "Do you think that Crow and that thing are connected?"

Cross sat next to her. "Where did you find him?"

Ossein bit her lips, kicking her legs a little. "I was just floating in the void, relaxing, and there was this voice in the dark. It just kept saying 'hello? is anyone there? anyone?' I followed it until I found a white glow that wasn't a timeline. And when I went up to it, I found half a monster soul shivering in the nothing. I thought it was going to break when I touched it, but instead it stopped shivering, relieved that it had been found."

I sighed. "Please tell me you've told someone about this."

"Chara and Blue."

Cross threw up his hands. "Of course Blue knows. God forbid he say anything to anyone."

Ossein smiled as she looked at her feet, hair swinging around her face. "Yeah. He's terrible about that. At least he doesn't give out surprise missions anymore."

Cross nodded. "Church really laid into him after the last time." He eyed her for a minute. "Which Chara?"

She sighed. "My Chara."

Cross patted her shoulder. "Tell your boyfriend. He can actually look at what's going on there without touching, even in the metaphysical sense."

Ossein nodded and yawned. "I'm going back to bed. I'll see you at debrief."

I checked the time. Four in the morning. I sighed and popped back over to Frisk. The inside of her head was warm, dark, and cozy. I laid down on the couch across from the fireplace where the embers glowed warmly.

I sighed and my head naturally turned toward the door to the basement. The door with a snake reared up, fangs ready to strike, burned into the wood. The door I'd triple locked and barred. The cold behind the door had warmed as the years had passed which I'd taken to be a good sign. On the other hand, from the moment she'd felt Sophia's first kick, the light behind the door had come on and stayed on since. And I had a sinking suspicion that the part of her I kept locked away was sitting at the top of the stairs on the other side of the door, ready at a moment's notice to defend her children.

I stood and walked to my room, crawling into my bed to sleep. I woke up to bright morning light coming in from the window and one of the 'Frisks' gently shaking my shoulder. It was the one in the blue dress, specifically the one I originally encountered dying on the floor of the cabin when I took up residence. She smiled, but looked concerned. I waved her off.

"I was up last night helping with a mission. No need to worry about me sleeping in."

She nodded and helped me stand. I wandered into the living room and took a moment to peek out of Frisk's eyes. She was getting the kids ready to go down to the Underground. After a trip to the Core, the plan was a day in Ember Realm. Princess looked excited as she waited with Sophia on the couch, practically bouncing in her seat. I projected onto Bones' shoulder, sitting on his leather bomber jacket.

"Hey, C. Sleeping in today?"

"Yeah. Frisk's nightmare had me up."

He looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry, man."

I shook my head. "No worries. It's not like I can't be other places. Case in point, I went on a mission with Cross and Frisk Ossein."

Bones frowned. "Anything new or different happen?"

I shook my head. "Nope. It's still really interested in Ossein. It actually got a few tentacles on her this time, but it wasn't trying to hurt her, just keep her still. Other than that, the half monster soul in Crow is definitely a Gaster."

"Really?"

I nodded. "The big indicator was its attack. You know that weird, six floating hands attack you can pull out? Crow used the same attack."

Bones paused for a moment, mulling over what I'd said.

I moved the conversation along. "The healing's a new trick," I commented. "I've never seen you use blue magic that way before. Frisk's fingers don't look the least bit damaged."

Bones shrugged. "Actually, it's an old one. Dings was pretty good at it."

"Everyone ready?" Frisk asked.

I popped over to her shoulder and she smiled at me, genuinely happy to see me up and about. I settled on her shoulder, basking a little in her happiness. Heading to the garage, we piled into the Chevelle and headed over to the entrance to the Underground. Walking around the tourist entrance, Dogamy and Dogaressa let us in the service entrance and into the Dreemurr residence. Princess looked around in awe, pointing to things and indicating how they were different or the same in her timeline as we made our way through New Home to the Core.

The kids played around in the office while Bones went into the lab itself to look over his journals for the, what? A hundredth time? Frisk went into the small apartment Wing Dings had once used to make some tea while Bones read over the journals.

"Well, damn."

Frisk looked at Bones as she came out with two tea cups. "Did you find it?"

"No. But that's because I've been looking for the wrong thing." He pulled a journal from the shelf. "I kept looking for something to be missing and instead, I should have been looking for something added." He opened the journal. "That thing recognized me. It knew me even though I wasn't Wing Dings anymore."

"So instead of looking for a missing piece in your journal set, you should have been looking for references to someone you knew?"

"Exactly. In my earliest journals, I talk about another Wing Dings, and I worked heavily with him before the monster war. It seems that he worked with every Gaster, dabbling in a little bit of everything." He handed Frisk a journal. "And after working with this man for a good one hundred years or more, I suddenly stop talking about him and don't even reference him in the conclusion of experiments he originally helped me start."

"Do you think he's the thing from the prison?"

"He might be." Bones turned to face her, leaning back against the book case. Despite now being able to just be himself in the Core, his voice still switched over to Dings' ethereal tone. "I'm going to send out a message to other Gasters and Sans-es like myself to see if they have anything in their journals that far back."

"Do you have a lead right now?"

"Yeah. I talk about how I was worried about my friend. That he was looking to do something to his soul in an experiment. But there's no mention of what he did, how he did it, or even why."

Frisk frowned, mulling that over. The lab in the Core was quiet but for hum of the generator that powered that Underground. The latest of Bones' experiments had finished up a few weeks ago and he was still going over the results, so the area was clean, equipment tucked away. Bones put his hands on Frisk's hips, gently rubbing boney thumbs in circles against the fabric covering her skin. Being the 'third wheel' of sorts, it was one of the many things I'd noticed that he'd picked up from Dings after that final merger. Going into the lab did not make him another person anymore but he certainly retained a his predecessors handsy-ness. Oh yeah. After she'd told Dings about the first pregnancy, he'd literally been unable to keep his hands off of her.

Bones pulled her close, her hips to his, and leaned down to claim her lips.

She broke the kiss to speak. "The kids are only a door away in the office."

He nipped at her neck. "So? Shouldn't they see that we love each other?" He leaned back a little, giving her his best, lecherous grin.

"And C?" She pursed her lips, wanting to be mad and not really managing it around the blush on her cheeks.

I let my voice carry over the comm. "I'm used to it."

Bones chuckled and kissed her again. I rolled my eyes as Frisk all but melted against him.

"Ooooh! Mom and Dad are kissing!"

Bones lifted his head to catch sight of Sophia giggling at them from the office door, Princess standing a little behind her, blushing wildly with embarrassment. Frisk went up on her tip toes to kiss the underside of Bones' skull.

"I really hope we're not down here just so you two can have a make out session," the ghostly Chara groaned. For a ghost, they were an incredibly cheeky brat sometimes.

Brandon leaned around the door. "Did you find it?"

"I found something. And it just might be the clue to what's going on. Who's ready to go to the park?"

A squeal of delight went up and the kids followed Frisk back to the elevator and out to New Home, Bones texting a few people along the way. It wasn't long before Red's father called him back.

"I do have references to another Gaster in my journals that suddenly stop as if he never existed. My notations say that he was looking to split his soul. My only commentary is how I found the idea to be a bit absurd, but otherwise not really note worthy." Even away from the phone I could here Dings' complete disdain for the idea. Several other phone calls followed with other Gasters and few Gaster-Sans-es reporting the same information.

Frisk distributed wrist bands to the children and sent them off to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl while Bones finished up the calls. "Well?"

Bones frowned. "Everyone has a mention of this in their journals or lab notes."

Frisk sighed, watching the kids as they squealed with the turn of the car. She closed her eyes, sinking into the information. "Multiple prisons but only one man. What if he managed to split the soul, but instead of two copies of himself, it shattered into multiple pieces that ran amok, causing the prisons to be created, each one with the all the power and knowledge of its original state."

"But how would it be keeping itself together and not just shattering?" I asked.

"It's liquid. In an eternal state of melting," Bones answered.

Frisk opened her eyes. "It's filled with Determination and monsters filled with Determination melt when they die. It's learned how to use that liquid state. And it needs to feed off the Determination in the souls of others to stay alive."

"That's why it's hunting Frisks!" I exclaimed. "It's looking for the souls with the most Determination!" I frowned. "So why is it so infatuated with Frisk Ossein? It never actually attacks her."

"There's half of a Gaster in Crow with severe memory loss," Bones commented. "Maybe that Gaster is what's left after the experiment made a monster out of him."

Frisk looked at him. "How do you make that connection?"

"When a Gaster decides someone is important to them, we can very easily become consumed by that devotion. C said that Crow used a very specific kind of attack on the thing in defense of Ossein and that attack literally knocks you out. I used it once to defend you and was only functional enough afterward to get you to Asriel for medical care. If the Gaster in Crow is that devoted to Ossein and the thing is a piece of that Gaster, its going to be just as devoted. Or in this case, fascinated with her."

Frisk frowned. "Frisk isn't going to like it, but Crow needs to be checked out. It might be our chance to figure out what's going on and make it easier to contain." Her phone rang and I sat up, knowing instantly who was on the other end.

Fase's voice of cheery doom crawled from the speaker. "Hello, Frisk! Hello, Father! I have news and it isn't good. Fell Frisk was able to isolate a way to track the creature."

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing," Bones quipped.

"My calculations have determined that it can cause anyone, anywhere to have nightmares. It uses nightmare imagery to spike the natural determination in a soul in order to feed off of it. When encountering someone with weak determination, they go past the nightmare into a strange bliss state to offer up their souls. The stronger ones are able to fight back but are often stuck in the nightmare, unaware of the danger they are in."

"That matches the bodies left behind,' Frisk confirmed.

"The nightmares all Frisks and Swap world Charas suffered last night were perpetuated by it. I've been tracking it and it's been using the nightmares to cause spikes in the soul's determination and suss out where Frisks are on a timeline."

"Oh hell," Bones groaned. "And we have five of them on timeline right now."

"Yes, but you didn't have the necessary spike either," Fase explained. "Frisk Cross was disturbed by the nightmare, but not enough to spark a reaction more than his already deep seated regret. Frisk Ossein does not have a journey on which to base her nightmare, so it was more like watching a movie for her. For Frisk Dreemurr, the dream brought out her fears of the determination being in her head rather than a spike in her determination. For you, it actually spiked sorrow. The only one with a spike in determination was Frisk Ossein the elder, which makes sense regarding her past. But it was short lived. Those timelines on which the Frisk attempted a No Mercy run, their Determination peaked and made them immediate targets."

"Where the teams sent able to deal with it?" Frisk asked.

"Every team was able to drive it back into the void."

Frisk nodded. "Good." She watched the kids run for the line to another ride. "Keep us apprised of the situation. 01 will be here tonight to work with Princess. She's been able to work with the prison's void material, but she's having trouble creating the lock."

"Does she require assistance?"

Bones shook his skull. "Nah. She just requires some confidence."

"And she gets better with that every day," Frisk added.

I could almost see Fase nodding. "Excellent. I will call with more news as I have it." The line cut and Frisk put her phone away. When the Osseins appeared, she and Bones snuck away for their ride through the Haunted Mansion. Frisk was already blushing fiercely and I popped away for a bit, watching the kids have fun from the wifi signal. When Frisk and Bones finally came back, the line to the Haunted Mansion always being long, Frisk was as red as a beet. Damn, but that skeleton had her completely won. The day wore on into evening and everyone was ready to head home after hot dogs and baskets of fries.

Well, Brandon didn't want to leave, but that was normal.

01 was waiting for us back at the Foundation in his usual all green attire. I'm not sure he owned anything else. I guess I could ask the AI that ran his compound. He crouched down in front of Princess. "Did you have a good day?"

She nodded, smiling.

"Ready to try again."

She nodded again, eyes filled with Determination. Frisk followed them to the training floor where Fell Chara and Ossein were finishing up with Undyne. Princess waved to her sister and got a wave in return. Followed by a blush when Ossein spotted 01. I checked the schedule real quick to make sure that no one was on for a while and found the schedule empty until Cross had it the next morning. Perfect.

Frisk followed Ossein and Undyne back into the girl's locker room. "Got a minute?"

Ossein's eyes narrowed for a moment and then she sighed. "Yeah. C ratted me, didn't he?"

"Hey! I live in here! It's not like either of us can keep secrets from the other!"

Frisk smiled, chuckling softly at my outburst.

Ossein's shoulders dropped as she undressed. "Chara and I are going to have a look after he and Princess are finished."

"Not much of a date," Undyne commented.

Frisk rolled her eyes. "Bones and I think that the Gaster in you is connected to the thing attempting to eat everyone's souls."

Ossein sighed, walking toward the showers, she stopped with her hand on the tiled wall. "As much as I want to say that it isn't possible, I know that's not the case." She disappeared inside a curtained stall.

Undyne smiled sadly. "She really doesn't want to lose him, huh?"

Frisk shook her head. "No. She doesn't. And I understand that feeling."

Undyne looked to me. "Hey! At least be in her head while you're in here, ya little creep!"

I flipped her off and returned to the training floor. Princess sat on the floor opposite of 01, working through the construction of a lock piece. Her Chara hung on her shoulders, ghostly head to her solid one, concentrating. They built each piece slowly and carefully, stopping to rest in between sections. The process left her exhausted, and deliriously happy. Princess was so proud of each piece she built and that it would help everyone. From the model layout on 01's terminal, this was the last piece.

Ossein came out of the locker room dressed in white lace shorts and a blue tunic just long enough to make the shorts appear to peek out from underneath. Hair still wet, she sat down next to her little sister. 01 gave her a quick wink and she smiled.

The last piece of the new locking mechanism formed in front of Princess. A black gear piece made of the barrier material she'd created came into being in front of her. 01 carefully took her hands in his, helping her move that last piece into position in the mechanism. She smiled at it, eye lids heavy.

"Well done, Frisk."

Princess smiled up at him, blinking heavily. Ossein scooted over, putting her arms around her siblings. But Princess didn't hug her back. Instead, she'd fallen asleep against Ossein's chest.

01 chuckled. "Well, she did it. All we have to do is decide on the combination."

"We can't just leave it blank? No way to open it?"

"Unfortunately, no. But we can close it for good by making the combination so incredibly random that the possibility of it ever opening is as close to zero as possible." He sighed. "And I'll take that." He gave her a smile. "Are you ready to go out?"

She nodded. "I want to..." She trailed off, gently petting Princess' sleeping head. Even the ghostly Chara was fast asleep.

He placed a hand over hers were it rested on Princess' head. "Crow first?"

Ossein sighed. "Yeah."

01 placed the locking mechanism in a small containment unit. It disappeared from his hands as soon as he locked it, likely heading back to Site Alpha. He stood and reached down for Princess. "Let's get these two sleepy heads in bed first."

Ossein passed the girl into his arms and stood, carrying the sleeping ghost against her back as they left the training room and headed for the Ossein family apartment. Mr. Ossein was waiting at the door, taking the little girl in his boney arms and laying her to rest in her room. The ghostly Chara laid next to Princess, Ossein tip toed out of the room and let 01 take her hand. After a quick hello-goodbye to her parents, Ossein let her boyfriend take her back to her apartment. Sitting on a couch I am told is extremely comfortable, he waited on Frisk to summon her exemplar. She remained still for a bit, and he held her hand, patiently waiting.

Crow appeared on his own.

Or at least, I'm pretty sure he did based on how surprised Frisk looked.

"Do you mind if I have a look at you?" 01 asked.

Crow shook his head.

01 pulled down his terminal, the strange, semi-solid hologram glowing an aqua blue in the dimming evening light. Crow appeared on the readout, the half soul isolated. Calling the soul cracked wasn't actually all that accurate. It was very literally split down the middle. Half of an upside down heart, it appeared to be more of a white tear drop.

Frisk leaned in nervously. "What are you going to do?"

He put an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her reassuringly. "Get a resonance reading and compare it to the reading I was able to get off the thing when my team first encountered it."

She looked up at Crow, worried and nervous as the minutes ticked by.

01 sighed. "Well, suspicions are confirmed. The soul in Crow and the thing in the void are instances of the same person."

Crow came around, curious to see the read out.

"Does that mean you'll take him away?"

01 shook his head. "There is no way that I know of to remove an exemplar from the wielder. The souls are firmly attached to each other. It would very likely kill you if anyone tried." He looked up at Crow. "Do you remember anything about your past?"

Crow's shoulders dropped in apology and he shook his head.

"Okay, let's try a different question. Do you remember working with other people at any point?"

The exemplar thought about that for a moment before nodding.

"Gasters?"

Another nod.

01 smiled. "That's why the other part of you knew Bones. I bet it has the memories of your past."

Crow gestured, using sign language. The terminal instantly translated. 'I want to know where I come from.'

"Do you mean your timeline?" Ossein asked.

He nodded.

"Bones might have something in his journals." She grabbed 01's hand, pulling him up as she stood. "Come on. They'll be tucking in the kids soon."

I headed back to my Frisk, projecting on her shoulder. She was pouring some of her homemade strawberry lemonade for herself.

"You're busy today," she commented.

"Ossein and 01 are on their way. Crow wants to know which timeline he comes from."

Bones came in the kitchen. "The kids are bathed and in bed. Brandon has decided to be a skeleton for a while."

Frisk chuckled. "Okay." There was a knock at the door. "Come in Frisk!"

Ossein opened the door.

Bones nodded appreciatively. "Nice call."

She waved him off. "C clued me in. Hello, Sir."

01 waved the formality off. "Crow wants to know where he comes from. Do your journals mention what timeline?"

Bones shrugged. "I have the earliest of my journals here. One of them is bound to say something."

"Is Crow related to the thing in the void?" Frisk asked.

Ossein nodded, but said nothing else.

"Two pieces of the same monster," I said.

Ossein looked at me. "Do I have no privacy?"

"I'm the AI that runs this place. I literally have to think about it to not be everywhere at once." I gestured to Frisk and Bones.

01 snorted. "Oh wow. That's rough."

Bones lifted a few journals from the dining table. "Everyone who can read my hand writing, step up."

Crow appeared, hand out for a journal. Bones handed him one before passing one to Frisk.

Ossein put a hand on Crow's arm. He looked away from the journal and touched the top of her head gently. He pointed to 01 and gestured for them to go.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded once.

01 took her hand. "Come on. We can't help here and Crow can return to you where ever you are. Now that the lock is finished, we will be making a containment attempt tomorrow. Let's rest while we can."

"Why do I have a feeling that you just said something completely out of character?" I asked.

"Because you sense that he's really a workaholic," Ossein answered.

01 shrugged. "Just let them go through the journals. See if they can find something to help us. You and I have somewhere to be." He pulled her toward the door and she followed a little reluctantly.

Frisk looked up. "You two have fun. We'll let you know if we find anything. Crow will be fine."

Ossein sighed and let 01 pull her away. A few hours later, we'd found nothing, though Crow seemed to be fascinated by the descriptions in the journals.

"Where are you from?" Frisk asked the air, not really meaning for the question to be answered.

Crow shook his head.

Bones sat back, sipping a bottle of hot sauce. "Anything jogging your memory?"

Crow appeared to think about that for a moment and nodded slowly, signing something.

"You remember lab work." Bones sat up. "Do you remember what kind you did?"

Crow signed again.

"You remember working to stop a plague." Frisk leaned forward. "Were you successful?"

Crow shook his head and the sign he gave was one I knew. 'No.'

Frisk nodded. "That's something we can use to research your identity." She looked to the dark sky through the window, and the flicker of the fire pit in the back garden.

Without even being fully present to look, I knew Ossein was falling asleep against her boyfriend's chest, while listening to D read aloud from a book of short stories. Alphys and Undyne had stuck around for smores, Alphys noisily eating the sticky marshmallow. When the story ended, 01 helped Ossein to her feet, before lifting her bridal style and carrying her back inside.

Crow sat up, looking toward the door and hall beyond.

"Yeah. Chara's bringing her in." I cocked my head to one side. "Are you worried he might try something?"

Crow shook his head.

"She's anxious about him and he knows it," Frisk explained. "Go on. Even after that piece of you is contained, we will have all the time in the cosmos to figure out more about you. Hopefully what you've read so far will jog your memory."

Crow nodded once, disappearing in a whiff of smoke.

Frisk looked at Bones. "What do you think?"

"He's not lying."

Frisk nodded. She curled up under his arm, resting her head on his rib cage. "We make are first try for containment tomorrow. Are you ready?"

Bones' arm curled around her. "As ready as I'll ever be. How many Frisks will be there for this?"

"Ten. That should be more than enough to attract it."

I felt a tug and turned to see Fase. I smiled and took her hands in mine. "Hey. Feeling better?"

"Yes. Will you watch the stars with me?"

"Always!" We stepped into our little world and laid on the quilt, watching the stars pass overhead, her hand in mine.

I woke up in my room in the cabin in Frisk's head. I didn't remember going to bed, but wasn't all that concerned. If I fell asleep or unconscious, my soul immediately returned to Frisk without fail. I headed into the living room where the Frisk in the blue dress sat on the couch, knitting. I projected to Frisk's shoulder and found her working in her sketchbook, a drawing of Sophia and Brandon sleeping in their bunk. Brandon was half skeletal in the picture, his boney arm hanging off the side of the bed.

"That looks great."

"Thank you."

I sat down on her shoulder. "We have to leave in thirty."

She smiled. "I know. The kids are already with D and Bones is down stairs. I was waiting for you to wake up."

"Why didn't you just wake me?"

"You came back to my head really late last night, so I didn't want to wake you until I had too." She closed the sketchbook and stood, heading for the door. "Ready?"

I nodded and she headed for the the equipment room. Bones winked at her when she walked by Papyrus' workshop before following her. Ossein and Cross waited for us outside the equipment room door, already suited up. As soon as Frisk and Bones where ready, we teleported to an empty timeline close to the middle of the cosmos. 01 already had the prison lined up with the timeline and a doorway in the middle of nothing. Multiple Seraph agents prepared the trap, including seven other Frisks.

01 stood, doing a quick head count. "All right. Everyone is here and the prison is in place. The plan is simple: all the Frisks present will peak their Determination to attract it here. Fell Frisk will track it to let us know how soon it will make land fall. From there, we force it into the prison. Once in, it will be put to sleep giving us time to close and lock it." He motioned a Sans in a lab coat over his blue hoodie over, taking a box from him. "In this box is a save star. Using it will peak the Determination of every Frisk here, creating a beacon. It will also give you the ability to continuously load from any point in time afterward using it on this timeline, so please be careful that you don't accidentally do that."

"*and you just happened to have that just sitting around?" Red chuckled.

01 rolled his eyes. "Of course I have stuff like this just lying around! You know what Site Alpha does!" He grumbled, "I can't exactly destroy it." He looked around. "Any questions that aren't smart assed?"

After a round of head shakes, he held out the save star. All Frisks stepped forward, standing in a circle around it. When Frisk's fingers brushed it, the readiness of the trap filled her with Determination. There was a bright flash as the Determination of all ten of them peaked. And just as her soul's power ratcheted up, so did mine, pulling my soul's strength into the beacon. Through the red haze of my vision, I could make out the other companion Charas being pulled into the beacon as well.

When I was alive, did I have this power and not know it? The power to reshape the world? Is that why I was able to persist despite lacking a body or a vessel?

Fell Frisk grasped at her Chara to keep her feet. "Oh it noticed that! It's coming right this way! We have about two minutes!"

01 boxed up the save star and tossed it's container to a Site Alpha agent, who disappeared into the void. Everyone moved into position just in time for it to slam into the ground where the beacon had once stood. It hissed as it stood, instantly understanding its predicament. It attempted to open a rift into the void and Fell Frisk shut it down, eyes little more than flaming red points in black nothingness. Several Sans-es put up a barrier around us all, trapping the thing inside with us.

It howled in anger, and then shot forward at Blue. Blue dodged, stepping to the side, letting it bang off the barrier. It turned, sending out multiple tentacles in several directions to grab what he assumed were the weakest in the group...

Including White, whose blue eyes glowed wildly. "Everyone wrapped up! Run for the doorway! Fling him in!"

Those wrapped in tentacles who could, made a run for the prison's doorway, dragging the thing after them. It struggled against them before finally letting go, pulling its tentacles back. Ossein ran for the prison's entrance, catching its attention. Suddenly conflicted in its priorities, it headed for her. She backed up as it loomed over her, doing her best to maintain eye contact. 01 pulled her out of the way as Blue sent multiple bone strikes into the thing's back. It tumbled through the doorway and into the prison.

Bones quickly shut the prison while 01 placed the lock, activating it.

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down for a moment.

The prison exploded, pieces of the void material flying through the doorway where it connected with the timeline. It stumbled, likely weak from bursting its prison. Frisk scrambled to her feet and it dived for her, looking to consume the nearest source of Determination. Bones through up a barrier in front of Frisk to protect her. Instead of slamming into the barrier, it turned and slammed into Bones.

Fell Frisk screamed, "NO! NO! GET IT AWAY FROM BONES!"

The thing sighed loudly, its awful voice dripping from Bones mouth. "Oh, my dear, it is too late for that."

"C? Release my LV."

"Frisk..."

"I can't beat him without access to all of it. It's okay. Let her out."

I turned and stared at the door to the basement in her head. There was no banging, no demand to open. Sitting in a heap on the floor was the Frisk in the blue dress, weeping inconsolably.

"Will it really be okay?"

"All the Viper in me ever wanted was the life I now have! I need her cold to do this. Just pull the locks!"

I let out a long breath and opened the locks on the door. The door opened slowly to reveal Frisk's Viper self, waiting patiently. She walked passed me to the door. The Frisk weeping on the floor was up in a flash, hands clasped as if in prayer, face pleading before the Viper. The Viper sighed, the blank mission face cracking slightly to give a little smile. She placed a hand on the pleading one's shoulder for a moment, before disappearing just outside the door.

She appeared again at the ocean, which stilled completely as she stepped into it. Everything turned cold and snow began to fall.

I turned to the other her, who stood there, shivering against the cold. I took her face in my hands and kissed her forehead before hugging her. "It's okay. She can handle this."

"I know."

I jolted at the whispered response. None of the 'Frisks' that walked around in here had ever spoken before. None of them. I stepped back to look her in the eyes.

A sad smile tugged at her lips. "She has the only life she's ever wanted. She will not fail to get it back."

I stared at her a moment, blinking.

"C? I need you."

I pulled down my interface as Frisk's posture changed. Her LV sky rocketed as she pulled her gun. I over laid her vision with the technical read out, lining up her shots with four possible targets. The thing, at current, was simply manipulating Bones body, making targeting easier. Three shots had both feet stuck to the ground and one arm complete immobilized.

The thing hissed, breaking through the foam core with tentacles, before dashing toward us. Frisk slid to the side, out of the way of the tentacles reaching for us, turning to shoot again, locking the legs in place with the foam core. A tentacle broke through the foam as swiftly as another wrapped around her arms, lifting Frisk off her feet and pulling us toward it.

The loading of the save jolted me and Frisk was standing away from the thing again, firing to lock down the legs. I quickly updated the information I was feeding her, remembering the pattern. The thing roared as it broke through the foam, coming at us with multiple tentacles. She slid to the side again, but this time brought up the knife Ink Sans had created for her, lopping tentacles clean off. It hissed and moved backwards.

It seemed weaker, and the next rush it made for us was slow and sloppy. Instead of using tentacles, it threw a punch, which neither of us had anticipated. She dropped the knife, but couldn't bring the gun up in time. Tentacles encircled us completely and pulled us forward.

Frisk loaded the save again and its legs were locked down even faster this time. The tentacle attack came next, but was weaker, the movement slower. As soon as the knife cut the tentacles away, she dropped it for the gun and locked down an arm. It broke through the foam with another roar and threw parts of itself across the ground like an oil slick, causing her to slip. It barreled down at us while she was momentarily defenseless.

Another save load jolted me, and she fired to lock down the legs again. This time it stilled. Shit. It realized time was skipping. And every time skip made it weaker and weaker. It lifted a hand, summoning Bones' Gaster Blasters in a ring around us, their mouths and eyes glowing.

Oh fuck. This was bad. This was really, REALLY bad. Unless one of them moved slower than the others, there was no way to dodge this. And Frisk didn't train with these guys enough for me to know. She simply counted on their support as if they were pets.

The thing lifted Bones' arm, pointing at her. I braced for the blast.

And nothing.

Caleb, the oldest one, floated away from the ring to take up a position next to Frisk, followed by the rest. She blinked at them as a few cuddled against her, but Caleb's flaming eyes were on the thing controlling his master. His jaw opened and a hot white flash blasted the thing.

It dodged out of the way, but was too slow to dodge the others as the blasts kept coming. It lifted a hand and looked as if it were tearing a hole in the very fabric of space.

As it disappeared into the void, Frisk fell to her knees, fists pounding the ground. "NO! NO! NO!"


	11. Ep11 Having the Life You Always Wanted

Core Issues: Season Four  
by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. This story is copyrighted to me.

Special Disclaimer: Scartale!Frisk and Chara belong to ilanitalia!

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.  
2\. Important French terms: Ane (Ass), Chou (Cabbage), Canaille (Blackguard/Scoundrel)  
3\. Quick reminder here: Cross does not refer to his Sans as D. He just calls him Sans.

Ep. 11 - Having the Life You Always Wanted...  
(Cross is our narrator!)

Church screamed as her fists pounded the ground. "NO! NO! NO!"

Red and I knelt next to her, holding her while she wept, hands covering her face. Her husband's Gaster Blaster's cuddled up against us, each trying to get close to their mistress, to comfort her.

01 turned to Fell Frisk. "Are you tracking it?"

"It's landed on one of the future timelines. Fase says she just got a call from one of the inhabitants saying a skeleton monster with what appeared to be a large amount of goop all over it landed there." She paused. "It's left that timeline."

Church's phone vibrated in her pocket. She didn't move to check it, remaining curled in on herself. It vibrated again and I pulled it from her pocket, hoping it was just a text from my Sans about the kids. I nearly dropped the phone.

"It's a text from Bones."

Church grabbed at the phone, nearly dropping it in her rush, fumbling with it. She shook terribly and I steadied her hands with mine, holding her still. I read the texts out loud.

'Don't text back. I'm not sure it knows I have the phone.'

'It was weaker every time you loaded the save from the anomalous star.'

The phone vibrated twice more.

'Hypothesis: loading saves draws the souls it's eaten away from it.'

'I'll send more information when I can.'

There was a pause and one last text came through.

'I love you.'

Church sobbed, her head dropping.

Fell Frisk suddenly waved her arm. "It's landed on a mob timeline!"

Church struggled to her feet, bleary eyed and unsteady, pulling Red and I up with her. "I'll go."

"No, you won't." I looked to Red. "Take her home. Let us know if anymore texts come through."

"Cross-"

"Frisk."

She flinched at the use of her name, but my tone came through. Red pulled her into the void, the GB's following after them.

I turned to 01. "I'll go."

Our human Papyrus,his bone mask in place, stepped up next to me. I wondered briefly if his brother was surfing right now, or doing something less than savory in the service of his Queen. "Coordinates please."

Fell Frisk droned off the equation and, very quickly, we stood in a dark alleyway filled with rotting barrels off a long, wooden boardwalk. A well dressed, teen Asriel in a dark pinstripe suit ran passed Papyrus and I with his Frisk over his shoulder. Frisk's eyes glowed an ominous red and he pounded on the goat monster's back, demanding to be put down, desperate to fight. We stepped out, grabbing either of Bones' arms and clothes-lining the thing. I pulled my gun and fired several times, locking the thing down to the boardwalk with foam core. It ceased moving and the hairs on the back of my neck pricked up. I took the chance anyway.

Reaching down to lift the thing up, a tentacle shot out, wrapping around my left arm and digging in with several, tiny, needle like teeth. It started sucking away my Determination. Papyrus pulled a knife from his belt and cut off the tentacle as the thing escaped into the void, leaving that piece of itself behind and attached to me. I hissed as the pain from the thing, still writhing on my arm, sent the needle teeth deeper into my flesh, but I refused to let it do more than annoy me.

Papyrus pulled his phone out. "We have an intact piece of the thing. It's attached itself to Cross' arm." He fell silent, listening, and then nodded. "We'll be there in a minute."

He put a hand on my shoulder, gripping tightly, and the world swirled completely black around us. When the world fell back into place, he'd landed us in the hall just outside of Asriel's lab. Fell Frisk was already there with Ossein to look at the piece of the thing from the void prison still attached to my arm. I rushed in, laying my arm down on the prepped table. Asriel carefully detached the tentacle from my arm, carefully pulling the needle teeth away. As it was removed, Fell Frisk and Ossein, both in light green surgical masks and pale latex gloves, took it to another table and began working to dissect and take samples. Asriel inspected the wound it left behind with a frown.

"Worried about something?" I asked.

"Several things. But when it comes just to you right now, nerve damage is what I'm worried about." He gently cleaned the blood from my arm to get a better look at the tiny holes.

"Isn't that what monster food is for?"

Asriel sighed. "It can't fix everything and you know that on this timeline, it simply speeds the healing process."

"Where's Church?"

"I've pulled my sister off duty. I'm hoping that she went back to her apartment to clean up, but I'm betting that she's doing nothing of the sort." He set to work on cleaning out each tiny hole before gluing the holes shut. "What happened to Bones?"

"The thing took him over. It just filled up the inside of his rib cage and started using his body to attack Church. After a attempting to eat her determination, it simply escaped into the void with Bones. He was able to text us earlier."

"Speaking of which, any news?" Papyrus asked.

Ossein looked up at us for a moment and then back down at what she was doing. "Nothing new."

I sighed as Asriel wrapped my arm in a bandage and handed me a Cinnamon Bunny.

She looked up at me again. "Bones' text said that continually loading your save will make it weaker."

I blinked at her. "Will you guys be okay with me saving and loading?"

Fell Frisk nodded. "Since you lack a timeline, your save really only involves you and your brothers. We'll be fine here."

I rushed for Church's office across the hall. It'd changed a bit in recent years, the dull grayish-white walls replaced with a nice, calm blue. Pictures of Sophia and Brandon graced the walls in carved wooden frames painted white and distressed. Even the desk had changed, being changed over to a design that was comfortable as opposed to utilitarian. I pulled out my key to the wooden cabinet behind the desk, unlocking the door. I touched the glowing, yellow save star hidden inside. Taking a moment to still myself, I found my Determination and saved. And then continuously loaded that save until I felt as hopped up on Determination as I had after making the beacon. Pushing the door to the cabinet shut and waiting for the lock to click, I leaned against the wall for a moment, shaking with the overload.

"You all right?"

I looked up at Papyrus and nodded. "Yeah. I just need a minute for the excess to bleed off."

He nodded and headed down the hall. My name on a form caught my eye, and I looked down at Church's desk. The report paperwork for the encounter waited for me. Her report was half filled out and looked to be broken off mid sentence. I sighed. Even after Red had brought her home, she'd gone back to work. So where was she now?

I looked up at the lab door and the activity inside. Alphys ran by with a bunch of samples, taking them to the lab in the new building most likely. By chance we finally had a piece of the thing to look at. Maybe it'd give us some clues as to how to capture it. It'd be a while until we had some answers as to anything that'd happened today. I wasn't ready to go home just yet. Granted, this was my home but... I knew what I meant. I pulled out the chair and sat down to file the report, grabbing a pen from the purple Seraph Foundation mug that sat on her desk. Bones was texting us. That meant he was somewhat okay. He'd looked like a skeleton monster with an amalgamate kind of mashed inside of and around him.

"Is Frisk out today?"

I froze, pen hovering over the paper. I knew that voice. It was the most beautiful voice in the world. Oh. Oh no.

I knew that Michelle existed in this timeline. She was a very good friend of Church's, which made sense, all things considered. While my contact had not made his family aware of why I was there and so my Michelle had no idea of who I really was, Church's version knew and was heavily involved in the deception that lead to the capture of a dangerous terrorist. I'd gone out of my way to avoid meeting this world's Michelle. And I was thankful that Church would warn me before a visit so I could be anywhere other than the Foundation.

I refused to look up. "She's out sick. I'd suggest against visiting her."

"That bad, huh?"

I nodded, keeping my head to the paperwork. The gentlest of fingers lifted my chin, forcing me to look up into a face I most desperately wanted to avoid and to see at the same time. Oh God. She was even more radiant than I remembered. The skin of her heart shaped face glowed a warm gold. Peridot green eyes glittered with her smile. A smile framed by long chocolate brown hair that fell in curls around her face.

Michelle smiled. "You are another Frisk! I knew that there were other versions of her but I didn't think that included men. You look like you could be her brother!" She frowned lightly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to bother you."

Oh God, no. Don't... Don't stop smiling. "You aren't bothering me. There's just a lot to do."

She smiled again. "So is your last name Church too?"

I shook my head. "Cross. Frisk Ethan Cross." Stop introducing yourself, you idiot.

Michelle giggled. That long, chocolate brown hair fell forward from her shoulders in long curls. "Cross? Oh that's great! Church and Cross!" She sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk, back straight, legs crossed, hands resting on her knees in a way that pressed her breasts together. The golden skin of her hands were covered in henna designs, something my Michelle hadn't done, being one of the few people allergic the plant based dye. This woman wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Oh hell. "Frisk doesn't talk about you. I have a feeling that she should."

I sighed. Just level now and it'll be done. Scare her off and save my sanity. "I asked her not too. You existed where I come from and..." I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I stole your heart under false pretenses and later, when the mission was done, I stole your life."

I waited for her to back away. To run. To do anything really. Anything other than regard me with the most thoughtful expression I'd ever seen on anyone's face. "Do you regret it?"

"Not a single moment of my life has gone by that I haven't."

She leaned in, pushing a stray lock of my hair away from my face. "How about, when I come to visit Frisk next, we talk about that?"

Say no. Say no. Say no. "All right."

She smiled and went out the door, the smell of her coconut perfume wafting after her. I stared at the paper in front of me, wondering what the hell I'd just done.

"*welp. you couldn't avoid that one forever."

"Fuck you."

Red chuckled, hands in the pockets of his hoodie, leaning back on his heels in that way he did when he was especially amused.

I huffed in annoyance. "Where's Church?"

"*pacing the garage. first thing sugar plum did when we got here was attempt to start working. asriel kicked her out of the office and told her she was off duty until we tried to capture that thing again. her level is still kicked up and c is keeping her off the training floor for everyone's safety."

I frowned. "If she needs to blow off the extra Determination, C can put her on with me."

"*as much as i'd love to see that fight, no. not a good idea. you know she doesn't take failure well."

I dropped the pen. "She didn't fail."

"*nope. but you aren't gonna convince her of that. not right now anyway."

"And the kids?"

"*i talked to so-so and brandon for a bit. your older brothers have them right now."

Ossein knocked on the door jamb before sticking her head in the office, the surgical mask pulled down to her chin.

"*whatcha got, shootin' star?"

"The piece of tentacle is very similar to an amalgamate. It's essentially held together by Determination alone. We surmised that this was the case, but now we have proof positive. Chara..." She smiled a little, shaking her head. "01 says they know why it didn't go to sleep when it hit the prison. The mechanism for it was linked directly to the original lock. Frisk is in the lab now cooking up a way to use the tentacle piece to make a sleep spell specifically tailored to it."

"That's good news."

She nodded, unhooking the surgical mask before pulling the band from her hair and shaking out her braid.

"Any idea where the thing is now?" I asked.

"*floating somewhere in the void." Red looked to the windows across the hall and the fading light of day spilling in from them. Had we really been gone that long? When was the last time I'd eaten? "*you two should get some food and settle in for the night."

I nodded and stood, paperwork forgotten. It could wait. Stopping at the door, I put a hand on Ossein's shoulder. "You all right?"

She nodded.

"Good job getting it in the prison."

She smiled, a bit of the twinkle back in her eyes "Too bad it didn't work."

"Maybe we can make a second time of it. How's Crow?"

She thought about it. "Just kind of resting. I think he's remembering more about himself since reading Bones' journals. He's found his voice and talks a bit."

"Does he have anything interesting to say?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "He occasionally tries to talk through his memories, but I'm pretty sure they're too fragmented at current."

I nodded and looked to Red. "I'll make sure Church eats and gets to bed."

Heading out the door and down the hall to Bones' garage, the evening light began to pull away, hiding behind the near tree line. Stopping at the door to the garage, the red neon he'd hooked up in the room glowed from under the door. I turned the nob and it stopped, locked.

I knocked. "It's me."

It took a minute before the door opened. Church was still in her dark blue uniform, but it was rumpled. She'd disarmed herself, but hadn't changed clothes. The driver side door of the Bones' blue Chevelle with the white stripes to match the cracks in his skull, was open, the foam padding under the leather seats depressed. She'd been laying there, but by the redness of her eyes, and the streaks in her make up, she hadn't been sleeping. I pulled her into the hall before reaching in the door to turn off the lights. Pulling the door shut tight, I checked the lock real quick before walking her to the equipment room and helping her change out of her uniform and into the lavender dress she'd left there earlier.

Digging around a bit, I found some wet wipes, and wiped the cosmetics from her face, feeling a bit like I was taking off the layer that separated us in appearance. As Michelle had noted, we did look alike. Satisfied that she looked a little more like normal, if otherwise expressionless, I pulled her from the room, careful to lock the door, and took her up to my apartment. Sophia and Brandon were sitting at the large, wooden dining table with their Uncle Papyrus and my brothers, eating a dinner of barigoule. Princess sat next to Sophia, holding her hand gently while they ate. Both kids ran to their mother when they saw her and Church knelt to hug them as Bones' brother stood.

"Will dad be all right?" Brandon all but whispered. He'd gone complete skeleton monster in his nervousness, boney hands touching his mother's face.

Church frowned. "I don't know."

Sophia touched her mother's hair, tugging at it. "You look different."

"I know. I'm sorry." She hugged them again before joining us at the table, her brother in law motioning her to sit with him.

Bones' Papyrus was considerably taller than mine, and his boney hand, gently petting Church's hair, seemed too large next to her head. After dinner, Church took the kids back to her apartment for washing up. I watched from the door as they sat on the couch, cuddled together, not making it anywhere close to the bathroom. Asriel came up behind me, looking over my shoulder with a frown.

"Would you like me to read you a story?" I asked.

Brandon nodded and I chose a book from the shelf next to the door. I didn't even make it half way through the first chapter of Fleischman's 'The Whipping Boy' before all three had passed into an uneasy sleep. I put the children in their bunks while Asriel put his sister in her bed. Bidding him good night, I went back to my apartment and sat next to my Papyrus on the couch. Looking to key down a bit, I grabbed my sketch book to work a little before bed.

And drew a picture of Michelle.

Oh hell.

Papyrus regarded the drawing thoughtfully. "THINKING ABOUT THE PAST?"

"This world's Michelle stopped by to see Church today. I told her that Church was out sick."

"YOU SPOKE WITH HER?"

I sighed. "Couldn't avoid it."

"PERHAPS IT WILL BE A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE."

"I agreed to see her again."

Sans' eye sockets squeezed shut, jaw clenched for a moment, before he burst out laughing. "*That's just brilliant!"

"Ane."

"ARE YOU SURE THAT'S A GOOD IDEA?"

"I don't know." I put the sketchbook down. "I'm trying not to think too much about how she wasn't wearing a wedding ring." I stood and put a hand on Paps shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. There are too many other things to be concerned about right now." I looked at the wall that separated our apartment from Church's. "I'll see you both in the morning."

After a shower, I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as moonlight filtered in through my window, still too keyed up to sleep. And if I can't sleep...

I tapped my phone, pinging a long dead teen. "C? Is Church awake?"

"Yeah."

I sat up and pulled on my slippers. "I'll be over in a minute."

C sighed. "She's not exactly all together in here."

"And that's why I'm coming over." I stopped for a moment to be sure that I looked decent enough to be wandering the halls at night. Loch Ness Monster t-shirt and sweat pants. I shrugged. It would do. I tip toed out of my room and down the short hall to the living room, not wanting to wake my brothers. I needn't have worried so much. They both slept like logs, even in the days they were constantly worrying about me. Carefully pulling the door shut behind me, I headed down the hall a little to the next apartment and found the door ajar. The living and dining area were dark, but the light from the kitchen spread across the dining room table.

"Hey, Church."

No response. I wasn't sensing danger, so I looked in the kitchen. She sat at her little kitchen table, wearing one of Bones' sweaters and staring out the window at the moonlit garden. A cup of tea steamed at her elbow.

"You should be in bed." I took her hands in mine and pulled her to her feet, but she still remained unresponsive. Time to shock her a little, wake her up a bit. "Michelle came by yesterday to see you."

Church blinked at me for a moment, but her expression lacked... everything. "I'm sorry. I didn't know she visiting."

I shook my head. "It's all right. I'm just letting you know."

I watched her for a moment, keenly aware of how alike we were in form and thought. How I knew that face, and that particular expression. She'd lost in a profound way and couldn't pull herself out of that dark ocean in her head. She was deep in a thought process drilled into us while we were just barely adults, one meant to keep us functioning when nothing really made sense. I put my arms around her, pulling her close and pushing her head down to rest against my shoulder. She stood there stiffly, as if she'd forgotten what a hug was.

"You did not fail. The parameters of the mission changed and you adapted swiftly and effectively, using everything at your disposal." I rubbed her back despite the stiffness in her posture. "You need to let go, Frisk. The Viper can't just sit in the basement and take over when needed. You have the life you've always wanted. The life the Viper in both of us desperately prayed for during the war. Let that part of you have that life. Let that part be retrained. If I could do it, you definitely can."

She trembled a bit, but still remained stiff.

"Your children saw that face. I know you never wanted them too."

She wrapped her arms around me, face buried against my shoulder to muffle her sobs. I held her, letting the dam break over me, holding her while she shook. It took a while, but eventually the trembling calmed. Church stepped back to wipe at her eyes and I took the moment to take both of her hands in mine and swing them back and forth in an easy rhythmic motion. She sighed as she watched the movement, eyes following the motion back and forth.

"You aren't the therapist."

I shrugged. "Nope. But I know the technique well enough by now."

The corner of her mouth twitched, bleary eyes still following the motion of our hands. I knew what the inside of her head looked like. It wasn't all that different from mine. A cabin in woods, sitting at the top of a hill, some of the tree line cut away to provide a view of a vast ocean. The cabin in my head had three bedrooms, just like the original, were as Church's cabin had an extra room, one made specifically for C.

"Go to the cabin in your head."

"Cross."

"Go to the cabin in your head."

She sighed, resistant even in compliance, and closed her eyes. I kept up the motion of our arms.

"Tell the Viper it's too cold to be outside and to get back in the cabin."

"No."

I frowned. "Frisk, tell the Viper it's too cold to be outside and to get back in the cabin. That part of you can't help you like this. She doesn't know what to do and was never prepared for this life. She's drowning in that ocean. You have to pull her out."

She shook her head, long braid swinging.

"Why not?"

Her eyes opened, blue and wet. "I need her."

"I'm not asking you to lock her away. She isn't a monster that needs to be relegated to a dark basement. I'm asking you to bring her out of the cold. You are not ice and neither is that part of you." I stopped swinging her arms and put my hands on her shoulders. "We work best when all our parts are working together. You've walked around since the war compartmentalizing every piece of yourself, and managed because you had C to help you piece it together.

"But that won't serve you anymore. Bones kept walking into the Core so he could be one person for you. Be one person for him."

Church closed her eyes and bowed her head.

I hugged her close. "We'll get Bones back. I promise."

She sniffed. "You can't promise that."

"Yes, I can. I know exactly what we're capable of." I took her hands again, swinging them back and forth in the same rhythm as before. Here we go again. "Tell the Viper it's too cold to be outside and to get back in the cabin."

Church sighed deeply, eyes tracking our hands.

I watched the time on the black cat clock with the swinging tail over the sink. After two minutes, I prodded. "Is she having trouble getting out of the water?"

"Yes."

Yeah. I thought so. I'd had trouble with this part too. Funny that. There was a point where I tried to tell myself that she wasn't like me, some mechanism in my head understanding that she was. That if I'd successfully captured her, it'd be her end. And mine. "Send another you out to get her. Suit her up in boots, heavy gloves, and a heavy coat, and walk her down to the dock over the water." I waited, watching the clock, using it to help keep my swing in time. "Are the waves choppy?"

"Yes."

"There's a rope on the dock. Wind it around one of the pillars to secure it and lower the other end into the water. No matter how short the rope looks above water, it will always be the length you need under the surface."

Her eyes continued to follow the motion of our hands, but her eye lids were beginning to droop.

"Does she have a hold on the rope?"

Church nodded.

"Help pull her up."

Her breathing had slowed down considerably. She was tired, but pushing through that last bit. I wondered what C was doing. Knowing him, he was probably on the dock, pulling up the rope with the civilian part of her.

"Is she up?"

Church nodded, eyes closing.

"Get her up the path and into the cabin."

She let out a long held breath and I smiled. I slowed the motion of her arms to a stop and put an arm around her waist to help keep her up right. I walked her back to her bedroom of very feminine comfort, helping her back into bed. I tucked her in under the light of the moon just out the window. When I was sure she was asleep, I gently closed the door to her room and headed out the door, waving to Blue from where he sat on her couch reading a book by the glow of his eyes.

I awoke to banging on my bedroom door the next morning. The sky was just starting to turn bright as Church came in without waiting. She was in a different navy blue uniform, this one not being wrinkled, hair still wet from a shower. I sat up in time to take her phone and look at a series of texts.

'It can rend the void.'

'That was how it shattered the prison.'

'It needs to sleep.'

'It couldn't escape the actual power containment structure the Shipworks' uses for their airships.'

'It only got out by pounding on the lock.'

'If you can prep one of those things so that it falls asleep as soon as it's inside, we'll be able to trap it.'

'I love you.'

I blinked at the messages for a moment before it sank in. Holy shit. We had a new prison! One ready made! I looked up at her, barely able to contain my smile. "Have you spoken to Steam?"

"He's already here."

I handed her the phone back as I stood. "Give me a minute to throw on my uniform and then we'll go save the world."

She nodded and stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Okay. If I was going to make the point to her I was pushing last night, I'd better go all in. At least she looked like she'd slept pretty well. I pulled out the Viper uniform and put it on. Note to self: never tell Sans or Papyrus how comfortable it feels to wear it.

C suddenly appeared on my shoulder. "I don't know what you did exactly, but thank you."

I raised an eyebrow at the hologram. "How's it going in there?"

"Weird. It's warm in her head. The ocean is just normal waves. The basement... The basement is gone! When the Viper came back in the cabin, the locks I'd put on the door fell off, and the door disappeared. The cabinets that made up the 'office' down there are relocated to one of the bedrooms, and Viper Frisk just roams around like the rest of the 'Frisks' in here."

I nodded. "Good."

C disappeared. I came out the door, pulling the longer bits of my hair in the back into a stubby pony tail. She looked me up and down before nodding. I put an arm around Church's shoulders and walked her down the short hall to the living room where Sans was already starting lessons with Sophia, Brandon, and Princess. Princess held Sophia's hand while they listened, her ghostly Chara resting on Brandon in a comforting way. They gave Church a wave and she blew them a kiss.

They smiled, giggling a little at the silliness.

That was more like normal. We headed out the door and down the stairs. Steam's Frisk and Chara were standing in the hall talking quietly with two others who were very obviously from their timeline. And they got tall fast. The twins wore the same style of brown slacks and white button downs I'd last saw them in, but it appeared that their Imperial sister had chosen their vests by the quality of the fabric. Both wore their work goggles perched on their heads and I wondered if they'd just come the Shipworks.

A young man with red hair and a sharp face, wearing a button down, brown slacks, and a vest very similar to what the twins wore, stood protectively next to a young woman, with short brown hair and flowers tattooed into her arms. Scratch that. Those weren't tattoos. Tattoos did not move under the skin like they were alive. She wore an unusual, layered dress of greens under the most unusual armor with a seven point star decorating it. Wasn't that something the Fae in Steam's world wore? She didn't appear to be Fae at all and I was pretty sure that was the symbol of one of the fae houses.

Chara caught sight of us and smiled. "Hey Frisk. Cross."

The smile Church gave them was close to normal. She was upset, worried for Bones, but she wasn't expressionless anymore. "Hey, boys. How's it going?"

Frisk immediately broke off to run to Church, hugging her tightly. "That doesn't matter! Are you all right?"

Church sighed. "No. But I will be."

"I've never seen him just hug a strange woman before," the red head whispered to the woman. "Has he done that in the past?"

The woman smiled patiently. "I'm pretty sure she isn't a stranger to them. We just don't know her."

"But you've known them most of their lives!"

"I'm not privy to everything they do. I'm Az's servant, not theirs.'"

The red head huffed. "Chou."

"Canaille."

I snorted. "Oh... that's rough!"

The woman smiled.

The man shrugged. "It could be worse. She could actually mean it."

"Oh, you know that I do."

He sighed and kissed her cheek, earning a blush.

"Are you two done?" Chara asked.

"Sure," they both replied.

Chara shook his head. "That's Frisk Church. The skeleton we saw stuck in the goop creature? That's her husband."

The woman covered her mouth with a hand, shocked.

He went on like what he'd just said wasn't shocking in the least. "To be honest, Frisk probably would have hugged her even if he didn't know her. Frisks are like that around each other. Completely fascinated."

Frisk raised an eyebrow at his twin brother. "You're like that around other Chara's."

Chara shrugged like that didn't bother him.

"Okay, I've met other versions of you before, but not a female one," the red haired man commented.

Frisk smiled at him, big and bright. "Of course there are female versions of me! Remember the woman with the pink and green hair that puts my hair to shame? She's a Frisk."

"Introductions?" I asked.

Chara gestured to his companions starting with the young woman. "Ladies first, this is Mary. She's one of Az's ladies in waiting."

Mary offered one flower covered hand to shake. "How do you do?"

I took her fingers gently and turned her hand up to kiss her knuckles, earning a smile. "A pleasure. I've not met anyone from a Fae house before."

She looked slightly uncomfortable. "I was adopted into House Nuada under unusual circumstances. I'm not actually fae."

Frisk gestured to the red head with the sharp face. "This is Stephen. He's one of our Gentlemen of the Bed Chamber."

Stephen shook my hand. "Pleased to meet you."

"And if their completely inappropriate behavior was any indication, they are engaged," Chara quipped, nose up with his arms crossed over his chest.

Church nodded to them both. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Frisk Gaster and this is Frisk Cross. Your sister didn't come along?"

Frisk shook his head. "Az won't leave unless it's on business for the empire. Even Anne stayed behind. And poor Ceph is still probably asleep."

"Anne? Ceph?"

"Anne is my fiancee and Cephas is our second Gentleman of the Bedchamber."

Church rubbed his head, fingers sliding through soft, yellow and pink hair. "Congratulations."

He smiled brightly at her. "Thanks!"

"Is your Sans prepping the chamber?"

Chara nodded. "Yeah. It won't take long. Fell Frisk and Mage Frisk have been all over it with a spell matrix that would impress my Dr. Gaster."

"Let's have a look then."

We headed down the hall and turned past the training room to what looked to be the door to a conference room. Inside was a room Asriel had specially prepared for whenever Site Epsilon needed serious magical work done. It was the same size as the training room, but was only equipped with a singular cabinet filled with various things. In the middle of the room, Fell Frisk and Mage Frisk both worked over a massive crystal structure. It was as large as my Papyrus was tall and looked similar to the crystal casing of the strange robot we fought on Steam's timeline all those years ago. The interior glowed with multiple golden sigils similar to the magic that my Sans used. Fell Chara leaned back against the wall, watching with some interest.

Stephen's jaw dropped. "That's him! The Chara who helped all the San-es take care of the battalion during the Hunt Coup."

Fell Chara looked over. "Hey, guys. Long time, no see."

"Yeah. What is it about you not visiting?" Chara asked, pretending to be miffed.

Fell Chara smiled and pointed at his Frisk. "Because when I'm not busy keeping that one out of trouble..." He pointed up, indicating Ossein. Who I didn't see around so she was probably still in her apartment which was probably right above us if my spatial perception was right. "I'm busy chasing after the other one." He went back to relaxing against the wall. "Bones' brother is in his workshop."

Chara elbowed his blond and pink haired brother. "Come on."

Frisk put an arm around his twin. "Looking to make good on an outstanding debt?"

"Yes. Though I don't think any of us see it that way."

King Chara stood with 01, discussing something. Church and I joined them.

"What's the good word?" I asked.

01 sighed. "The good news is that the new prison and its lock are ready. We even have a way to capture the thing and drag it to us since it won't fall for the beacon again. The bad news is that we still don't know how to get Bones out of it. I'm going to talk to Star and Crow about it in a bit."

Something felt... wrong. Like the world had very slightly, but very suddenly, shifted to one side.

Fell Frisk sat up suddenly from the crystal prison. "It's here in the building! On the second floor!"

Several of us dashed up the stairs and split off in multiple directions. I ran straight for my apartment and the kids. Everyone looked up from the math lesson at the dining table, confused at the sudden intrusion. Church turned on her heel, running down the hall for Ossein's apartment. Fell Chara and 01 had already beaten us there. Ossein stood in her living room, staring at her feet. A large piece of the thing was wrapped around her. A tall Gaster was very carefully removing the long tentacle. Had all that time remembering given Crow the form he preferred back? The tentacle piece jerked and writhed, attempting to stay attached, but lacked the needle teeth mine had to stay on.

Fell Frisk grabbed a hold of it, letting it wrap around her arm instead. "Let's see if this thing passes out in the new prison chamber."

01 put an arm around Ossein, pulling her along with him as everyone filed out of the apartment. Crow suddenly stepped in front of Church and I, blocking us as the others moved toward the stairs.

He stood with his hands clasped in front of him and frowning in a deeply apologetic way. "If I can, I will force that piece of myself into the prison. If I cannot, I will pull it in with me, and you are to lock us both inside." His eye sockets squeezed shut. "Please do not inform Frisk of this. She will understand it happening in the moment, but if she knows before, she may try to stop me."

Church took his boney hand and patted it. "You found your voice. Why tell us?"

He sighed. "I wish someone to know in case you must stop her and the two of your are both well placed to help. I cannot tell the head of the Foundation or her partner. To do so would damage her trust in them. Her partner is her pillar and the love the other has sparked in her is very precious. I will not take that from her."

"What about Bones?" I asked.

He smiled a bit proudly, the way all Gasters did when speaking of Red's little sister. "I believe that the Frisk of the Fell world has a solution for that."

Church patted his shoulder with a nod. "We can handle that. Come on. We need to see if the spell matrix works."

Crow nodded, disappearing. Church and I headed back down the stairs just in time to see Mage Frisk, eyes a glittering gold, stuffing the tentacle piece into the prison. As soon as it crossed the threshold, it fell limp.

"Yes!" Fell Frisk hopped in place, instantly happy. She looked to 01. "We're ready!"

"Great. Now we just have to figure out how to get Bones out of the thing," 01 said.

Fell Frisk snorted, insulted. "Please. Do you really think I haven't thought of that? The prison does not need to be shut for the sleep spell to work and it's keyed into the thing specifically. Once it's in there, we can just pull Bones out before shutting it and locking it."

He blinked at her before shaking his head with a smile. "All right then." 01 looked around. "This time we are going with a smaller team. Fase has Error on call. Don't ask how she worked that one out, because I don't know. When we are ready, Error will grab the thing and throw it directly onto a predetermined timeline. We'll be waiting with the prison. Our goal is to get it in the prison, after which, we get Bones out before locking the prison. After successful containment, the prison will be moved to Site Alpha. I already have a lovely place for it."

"Is it your office?" King Chara asked.

"No. But I will admit to having thought of putting it there." 01 shook his head. "The team is as follows: Blue, Red, Church, Cross, Star." He jerked a thumb at King Chara. "That asshole. His lovely wife. And myself. Get prepped and meet back here in twenty. We'll transport from this area to a dead timeline. Once operations begin, it will be Blue's job to keep the thing on timeline while the rest of us force it into the prison. Since bonding with Bones, it has become susceptible to normal weaponry and we've been able to cut pieces off of it. The plan will be to continually separating pieces of it off to weaken it. Any piece cut away will be isolated and contained by Mage Frisk until we have enough that she can throw the pieces in. That should substantially weaken it enough to get it in the prison. Any questions?"

There was a general shaking of heads.

"All right. I'll see the team in twenty."

As I made my way to the door, Fell Chara jerked on my sleeve. "You've got my partner's back, right?"

I nodded once. "Have I ever failed in that regard?"

He shook his head. "No."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine."

"It's not her I'm worried about. It's Crow."

Oh hell. "That he might try something?"

Chara nodded.

"I'll keep a watch for that."

"Thank you. Good luck."

I sighed and followed Church and Ossein who were already half way down the hall. There was an ease to Church that hadn't been there before, not even before the incident. She moved with the Viper's skill but also with the relaxed attitude of the woman who sat with her knitting while listening to a podcast in the evening. The next part would be crucial. Not just saving Bones, but putting together the pieces in her head.

I really didn't pick the best time to do this, but crisis had a way of speeding things along.

After prepping, we headed back to the room. Arranging ourselves around the prison for teleport, the world went black, and when all the pieces of reality fit back together, we were standing in the middle of a large, grassy plain. In the distance, you could make out some green trees and bushes standing over golden, yellow grasses. The dry dirt under our feet held the hooved impressions of a mass animal migration having been through here recently, but was now gone from sight.

Mage Frisk quickly drew a large circle in the dirt around the prison with a stick before etching out multiple sigils. "This circle should will hide the prison and me from the thing's vision. It will not impact your ability to see. Frisk Ossein? I'd like you to take up position right here." She pointed to the circle's edge. "It's fascination with you will give you an advantage for getting it into the prison."

Ossein nodded and stood in the area indicated.

"Are we ready?" 01 asked. We all assented and he pulled out his phone. "Fase? We're ready." He hung up and shoved his phone in a pocket under his armor. "Here goes nothing."


	12. Ep12 Fills You With Determination

Core Issues: Season Four

by Nicolle

Disclaimer: Undertale is the creation of Toby Fox. Gaster!Sans, our lovely narrator, is the the creation of Borurou. Error!Sans belongs to Lover or Piggies (just call her the Crayon Queen). This story is copyrighted to me.

1\. This story is rated T for language, suggestive jokes/themes, and violence.

Ep. 12 - Fills You With Determination

(Bones is our narrator! Wait. What?)

Where was I? I looked around. I was still on the field. I tried to move and... nothing.

Fuck.

This was different from other possessions. I couldn't even feel it inside of me and it didn't take long out figure out why. When possessed by another Gaster, it always linked to my soul and used that connection to hold onto me. Which is why my feelings for Frisk would turn into a complete fascination with her on the possessing Gaster's part. But this? It was doing everything in it's power not to touch my soul. As if doing so was a poor idea.

I looked up at Frisk and her posture changed, 'mission mask' falling into place. Her LV sky rocketed as she pulled her gun. Three shots had both my feet stuck to the ground and one arm complete immobilized.

The thing hissed, breaking through the foam core encasing my legs with tentacles, before dashing toward her. Her Determination peaked and even without it touching my soul, I could feel it: an overwhelming hunger. She slid to the side, out of the way of the tentacles reaching for her, turning to shoot again, locking my legs in place with the foam core. A tentacle broke through the foam as swiftly as another wrapped around her arms, lifting Frisk off her feet and pulling her toward me. No!

The jolt of a save load hit me and Frisk was standing away from me again, firing to lock down my legs. The thing roared as it broke through the foam, coming at her with multiple tentacles. She slid to the side again, but this time brought up the knife Inky had created for her, lopping tentacles clean off. It hissed and moved backwards, attempting to run with my legs, but losing real function.

It seemed weaker, and the next rush it made for her was sloppy. Instead of using tentacles, it made a bet that she wouldn't physically hurt me, and threw a punch. It paid off. She dropped her knife, but couldn't bring the gun up in time to lock down my arm. Tentacles encircled her completely and pulled her forward.

The jolt of another save load hit me again and my legs were locked down even faster this time. The tentacle attack came next, but was weaker, the movement slower. As soon as the knife cut the tentacles away, she dropped it for the gun and locked down my arm. It broke through the foam with another roar and threw parts of itself across the ground, causing her to slip. It barreled down at her while she was momentarily defenseless.

Another save load crashed into me, legs locked down again. This time it stilled, realization setting in that the Determination it sought to consume was behind the jumps in time. Jumps that were making it weaker and weaker. Every time she loaded her save, it was stealing the pieces of the souls it had away, sending them back to their rightful owners. Even though it was doing its damnedest not to touch my soul, I could feel its rising fear. The knowledge that those with the most Determination were also the most deadly.

It lifted a hand, summoning my Gaster Blasters in a ring around her, their mouths and eyes glowing. Oh no. No no no! Come on, boys! It's not me! You gotta be able to see that!

My arm lifted, pointing at her.

I railed against the thing, trying anything to stop the blast. And nothing.

Caleb floated away from the ring to hover next to Frisk, followed by the rest. She blinked at them as a few cuddled against her, but Caleb's eyes were on me, still flaming. His jaw opened and a hot white flash came at us.

Good boy!

The thing dodged out of the way, but was too weak to dodge the others as the blasts kept coming. I could feel the void opening as he made his escape. And as the world blinked out, I saw Frisk on her knees, fists pounding the ground as she screamed.

Oh God, Sunflower. I'm so sorry.

I floated there, in the nothing, feeling the thing around me pant and quiver, too weak to do much. It floated near a timeline, waiting for the walls around it to open a little in order to dive in. So that's how it'd been getting onto timelines. It waited for an opening and exploited it. As the timeline closed around us, it crashed into the ground. As we lay there, it went dormant, resting. I attempted to move and was able to lift my hand a little. I touched my pocket. My phone was still there, but I didn't have enough control to pull it out.

A rustle in the dark, green bushes caught my attention, and I looked to my right. A young woman, maybe mid twenties, sporting long, brown hair braided with flowers and wearing a dress my Sunflower would have mugged her for, stepped out of the brush surrounding me. A mechanical limb was attached to the metal encased stump of her left leg.

"A skeleton monster!" She knelt next to me, warm brown eyes looking me over. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Could I talk? Only one way to find out. "You have a Sans? A skeleton monster like me around?" Well, what do you know? I could talk.

She frowned. "Sans? You mean the legendary skeleton monster who protected the fallen children?" She shook her head, braid swinging. "He died a long time ago. Just a bit after the last of the fallen humans passed away."

"Do you have a phone?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"I'm going to start reciting a random list of numbers. It won't sound like a phone number, but it is." The thing stirred and I stiffened. "Listen, I'm possessed by something incredibly dangerous. It's sleeping right now, but it's going to wake up soon. Start typing the numbers in and when I say run, just go. As fast as you can and don't look back. Tell the voice on the other end of the line that Bones landed on your home world. Got it?"

She nodded, eyes filled with Determination. Was she related to this world's Frisk or Chara? Or was she simply the person with the most determination now that they were gone?

I rattled off Fase's number, letting it pour out in a hum while she input the numbers in her phone. The thing was really stirring now, being so close to a being with the determination it craved. This was going to be close. "Seven. Eight. Nine. Two. RUN!"

The girl dashed away, phone to her ear. Thankfully, the thing was slow to move. Staggering as it stood, it stalked in the direction the girl had left in, but she'd left no trace of were she'd gone. Rather impressive, all things considered. We seemed to be in the middle of no where. Feeling no sources of determination near enough to feast on, it opened a rift and slipped back into the void. Interesting. It had to wait for a way to get into a timeline, but could leave whenever it wanted.

It passed out again. I attempted to move my hand and this time had more control. Hopefully, I could use that exhausted state to my advantage. I pulled out my phone, gripping it tightly to prevent losing it in the endless nothing. I paused for a moment, staring at the wallpaper photo of Frisk and the kids, swimming in the lake by the cabin.

Sighing deeply, I texted Frisk.

'Don't text back. I'm not sure it knows I have the phone.'

'It was weaker every time you loaded the save from the anomalous star.'

'Hypothesis: loading saves draws the souls it's eaten away from it.'

'I'll send more information when I can.'

I paused for a moment, feeling it stir and risked another message.

'I love you.'

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and relaxed, feeling it wake. It lifted my hands weakly, and a magical seal glowed a soft gold in the darkness between them. I studied the markings, and frowned. This was the kind of magic that D used, heavily symbolic. The seal burst, falling like golden dust before disappearing in the endless darkness. And then I felt it like a rush. The Determination of multiple people peeking all at once.

Shit. This was how he activated the nightmares earlier. But how? The spell didn't seem powerful enough to evoke that kind of reaction. Was it keying into something in the void itself? Something I couldn't see? This was the void. I was deeply connected to it on the most intrinsic of levels. Was it even possible that there's something out here I'm unaware of?

No. I'm over looking the obvious answer.

When it was still W.D. Gaster, he had visited every timeline that existed at that point. That little seal could easily have contained symbols for every timeline that had existed at that point meaning it was using the original variation timelines to amplify the spell's potency. Fascinating! I shook myself out of the line of thought before that part of me that was still wholly my predecessor distracted me further. Now wasn't the time.

It zeroed in on a timeline and waited for the opening. Slipping through the code, it landed on a dock overlooking the ocean under a starlit night and a bright full moon. A young man in long brown slacks, a white button down under suspenders, stumbled along the boardwalk just ahead. A tall goat monster in a black, pin striped suit walked along with him.

"Are you sure you're all right, Frisk? You were screaming in your sleep!"

"I just need to walk it off, Azzy. No big deal."

It shot toward the two and I pulled back, trying to hinder it. I might as well have done nothing for as useful as that was. It slammed into Asriel, knocking him to the ground before swirling up and around Frisk.

The young man blinked, eyes suddenly turning red. "How dare you hurt my brother!" He flicked his wrist, and a knife hidden in a sheath on his wrist popped into his hand. His strike was fast, his Determination already kicked up by the dream. Apparently the thing hadn't learned it's lesson from taking the brunt of my Sunflower's released LOVE. It skidded back as the knife made contact. Apparently being fused to me had left it susceptible to normal attacks. By the hiss it let out, it hadn't anticipated that. The kid was swift, turning with another strike, severing a tentacle that reached for him. He tossed the knife in order to grip it for a stab and leapt forward.

Asriel grabbed him around the waist, pulling him back. "Frisk, NO!" Knocking the knife from the young man's hand, he threw Frisk over his shoulder and made a run for it.

It dashed after them, moving to keep up, desperate for the Determination. Asriel ran past a dark alley and out of it stepped Cross and our Surfer Papyrus. They grabbed either arm, sending it backward and me with it. I'm pretty sure that if I had control of my body, my skull smacking off the cobblestone would have seriously hurt. Instead, the impact felt far off. Cross' gun was in his hand, and I was locked to the ground with a few well placed shots of foam core.

The thing hissed, but stopped fighting. Oh that wasn't a good sign. Cross reached down to lift it off the ground and a tentacle slid out, wrapping around his left arm. He gasped as it stole some of the Determination still bleeding off of him from the beacon. Suddenly powered up, it burst out of the foam and opened a rift to escape into the void. Papyrus reached over, cutting the tentacle off to free Cross. It left the piece of itself behind as it escaped into the void.

Having some power back, it rested again, sleeping. Was this how it spent the majority of its time? No. Things were different now. All of the timelines had protections around them that they hadn't had back when this thing roamed freely. I tried to reach for my phone and nothing happened. I fell asleep. And woke again when we bumped into a timeline and one I knew well. Waiting for the code to open, it slipped inside.

A massive airship floated by overhead as it slithered down a cobblestone street, the sun rising. It lifted one arm and it's power radiated out. Screams swept through the area only to be followed by moans of delight. People walked out of the buildings on both sides of the street, arms out toward it, faces filled with awe.

A pale human girl with short dark hair attempted to stop several fae as they came out of a grand hall, arms out. She was human, but wore the fae armor of the Order of the Oak over her dress. What I first thought were tattoos on her bare arms were instead, strange living flowers that moved under her skin. She turned to see what everyone was heading for and caught sight of it. Turning even paler, she pulled a gun from her belt, loading it with an unusual ammunition, before firing directly into the sky. A massive firework burst of bright yellow and purple went off overhead forming the Delta Rune.

I knew that signal. It was one that Steam had developed for his Frisk and Chara.

The girl twisted the gun, dropping the standard barrel to replace it with a glowing white crystal barrel. She fired on it, encasing our shared body in ice. While the thing took a moment break through the ice, she used the time to run to the front of the crowd, using the gun to create a wall of ice to block everyone on the street. As the wall completed, the crystal overloaded, and shattered. The girl screamed as she hit the cobblestone, hands and arms ripped up by the shrapnel. She laid there for a moment, gasping in pain, before forcing herself to her feet. As she stood, the torn flesh knitted itself together. the flowers looking suddenly bright and in full bloom on her arms.

A tentacle shot out and grabbed the girl around the waist, lifting her high. Her soul appeared in front of her chest, glowing a bright orange. She struggled for a moment before something caught her eye and she smiled. Even without looking, I knew what she saw. I could hear the fast approaching Gaster Blaster motorcycles. She pulled an oddly shaped knife from her belt and cut the tentacle. She landed on the ground with a crouch and dove to one side.

The thing turned in time to be thrown into the air by Prince Chara's spear as he rounded on the cycle. The other cycle was ridden by a young man with white hair and nearly white skin, his eyes glowing a bright blue. He came up with a second spear, knocking the thing back down to the ground. It lay there for a full minute, completely stunned.

"Took you long enough!" the girl called as she ran for Chara.

Chara dismounted the cycle. "Complain later. Ceph! Lock it down!"

"I got it!" The pale man yelled, his eyes glowing a bright aqua blue, white hair floating up from the power coming off his magic as a white lattice formed over it. Suddenly distracted, the spell over the people on the other side of the ice wall fell apart.

The girl bent over a little at the waist, hands on her knees, to look at us. "What is this? It looks like a skeleton monster filled with a ton of goop." One of the Blaster cycles went up to her and she rubbed it's snout absently. "What do we do with it?"

Chara frowned. He was older than I remembered, but then, I hadn't been around for a visit in a while. By the look of his linen shirt, brown pants, and the dirt rings around his eyes from where his goggles had been, he'd been at work in the Shipworks this morning. His white haired friend appeared to be similarly dressed. "We call for help. I don't know what that thing with the tentacles is, but the skeleton monster stuck in there is a friend." He reached into a pocket, pulling out a strange video radio that passed for a communication device in Steam's world, and dialed. "Fase? Something's taken over Bones and we've got him held down here, but we can't hold it forever."

Fase's voice of creepy doom seemed... off. Was she that upset about my predicament? "Acknowledged. Agents are enroute."

"He's breaking through my net!" the young man, Ceph was it?, yelled.

Chara turned to the girl. "Mary! Get everyone on the other side of the ice wall out of the area!"

She nodded once and ran, vaulting the wall. I could make out her giving instructions while the young man struggled against the power of the thing. Chara grabbed him, breaking the spell off. The man slumped against him as he whistled for the cycles. He helped the man onto a cycle and sent it off as the thing rose. It spilled out of my skeleton and rose high, looming over Chara, who proceeded to not look the least bit impressed.

"Really? Is that all you've got to offer? Height? You're just a slosh of goop. I've met Shoggoths with more bodily integrity."

A tentacle slashed at Chara and he knocked it away like it was nothing.

"If you're going to give me a fight, at least be entertaining."

Instantly infuriated, the thing dove at him and Chara moved so it would slam itself off the ice wall, causing it to crack.

Chara stepped up to one of the cycles, gripping the handle. "Catch me if you can," he mocked. The cycle he had his hand on took off, and he mounted the seat as it moved down the street.

The thing practically flew after him, sensing his determination. I snorted to myself. This Chara was a certifiable genius and the fact that his twin brother Frisk, wasn't with him right this moment spelled a certain kind of doom. They worked in tandem, even when they weren't aware of it. Chara led the thing down several empty streets before coming out on the river route and making a mad dash for the shipyards where W. D. Gaster's Shipworks was located. Airships in dock bobbed up and down overhead. But rather than escape into the shipyards, he flew past the iron gates, speaking on his radio to someone.

He looked back at the thing long enough to make a rude gesture. It's anger festered and it sped after him. I would have smiled had I control of my body. This Chara was very good at infuriating someone to a point beyond reason. This thing wasn't letting up. Chara rounded a corner on the cycle, heading right for a long concrete fishing dock and the river. As the Blaster Cycle leapt from the dock, it transformed under him into a small aircraft. The thing leapt up after him, only for us to be trapped in a net and pulled down to the dock.

Before hitting the concrete of the dock, I saw a shock of bleach blonde hair with pink tips. I was wondering where Frisk was. Prince Frisk and a young man with bright red hair and a sharp face pulled the thing into a massive crystalline structure, the kind made to contain the power core of the engines the Shipworks used in their airships. It pounded on its prison in abject fear, unable to get through the casing. Well now. That was a good thing. Just what was this thing made out of?

It stilled, looking around frantically for a means of escape. It noticed that the lock was sturdy, but it wasn't a magical one. It concentrated its efforts on the door, right at the lock, breaking it apart with continual slams against it. The lock cracked and the door of the casing swung open. And then it opened a rift into the void, dropping us back into nothing.

A thought hit me like a ton of bricks. That was how it shattered the original prison. It had opened a rift into the void and the prison, being made of the void, was rended to pieces. Had the lock survived? If the lock survived, that means we still had a means by which to make a new prison. We just needed a properly prepared casing.

Instead of diving for a new timeline it seemed to fall asleep. I could feel it getting weaker and weaker. Some one was loading their save repeatedly. Cross? Probably. I reached into my pocket, swiping to unlock my phone and texted Frisk.

'It can rend the void.'

'That was how it shattered the prison.'

'It needs to sleep.'

'It couldn't escape the actual power containment crystal the Shipworks' uses for their airships.'

'It only got out by pounding on the lock.'

'If you can prep one of those things so that it falls asleep as soon as it's inside, we'll be able to trap it.'

'I love you.'

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and relaxed. For being unable to even feel my body when it was awake, I was deeply exhausted. Maybe, while it's connected to me, I can poke around in it. Talk about an incredibly ill advised action. Well, here I go anyway. Using my soul's power, I felt around a bit, looking for some piece of something. It definitely had a mind and I didn't want to poke that too hard. For the most part, it'd been ignoring me, so I was pretty sure it wasn't aware I was still conscious. After reaching around for a while, I found the tiniest sliver of a soul.

Only a sliver? He isn't the other half of Crow?

I reached out and gently touched that piece. Everything was hazy for a moment and I saw myself. Rather, I saw myself as Wing Dings, sitting on the couch in my lab in the lowest basement level of the Core. I was sipping Golden Flower tea while reading over a paper. Another Gaster sat next to me, an unusual violet glow to him, waiting for me to finish. I stared at the other Gaster, and felt like I should know this man and know him well.

The 'memory me' handed him the paper. I sipped the tea. "You said that a human child in your world managed to do it to their own soul?"

He nodded. "Humans are fascinating in that their souls are dominated by an existing virtue, the strongest of which is Determination. The ones with souls of Determination are able to do things even monsters with years of magical study are unable to do."

"You would need a vessel in which to place the other half of yourself. The human child you document split half of their soul away in order to give your Asgore a new lease on life after an assassination attempt. And not only was there a vessel for the soul, the human was filled with Determination, which kept both pieces intact. You would need a source of Determination in order to do this." I sipped my tea. "The idea that a monster soul may actually be split in such a way is worthy of investigation. Your hypothesis is sound, but you lack key components with which to test it."

"But I do have them."

The memory me put down the tea cup. "You mean to use yourself as a test subject."

His eyes glowed brightly. "I do! Think of it. By making two copies of myself, I'll be able to do twice the amount of work."

"But what of the Determination? The vessel?"

I couldn't hear the next part, the memory pulling away. Checking for a moment to be sure the thing was still asleep, I moved in, touching again. And was shoved back. Not by that sliver of soul, but by my own. Some long thread of tension in my head snapped and the headache that pounded at me was deafeningly loud. Behind it came a flood of memory.

Half a monster soul shattering into multiple pieces.

A monster fused with a human's determination and melting from the inability to keep a singular form attacked everyone around it, stealing their souls, drinking their determination in order to remain whole.

Several of such monsters attacking multiple timelines, leaving terror in their wake.

The break out of war between humans and monsters. The humans unable, or unwilling, to accept that the thing that killed so many of them was 'other.'

Gasters from all over the cosmos hunting down and imprisoning the things in the void.

Myself, holding all that was left of my friend's soul, and using it to make a lock to hold the most powerful of the creatures in its prison.

Going home to find monsters trapped underground. A condition spread across the cosmos.

I lay there in the darkness, panting as my soul throbbed. Oh hell, the monster soul in Crow was the original lock piece. Shooting Star had found it while taking one of her 'swims.'

The thing was awake and regarding me. Or at least, regarding my soul. "Have you remembered? You must have by the state of your soul."

I felt a long hum as the thing righted itself in the void and dived for a timeline, using the energy radiating from my soul to enter it. When I had a moment to register my surroundings, I pounded uselessly against the possession. I was home. I could hear Brandon's voice just down the hallway.

No. No. NO! Don't you dare go near my children!

"Calm yourself. I'm not here for them." It pushed the door to the right open, sliding into Frisk Ossein's apartment.

"Bones!" Shooting Star dropped her tea cup, the porcelain smashing on the kitchen floor. She reached for a gun and paused, realizing she had nothing on her. The thing stalked up to her, tentacles reaching out. Pausing, her expression changed. She took a deep breath and let a tentacle touch her before pushing it away. "Let my friend go."

It reached out again and she pushed it away gently, but firmly.

"Let Bones go."

It shook its strange head. The voice that came out was labored, like a loud whisper. "I cannot. If I let him go, you'll imprison me. I will not go back to that endless slumber." A tentacle reached out again and she pushed it away again, but the continual motion had backed her into a corner.

"Why can't we kill you? Why must you be imprisoned?"

"If I were to perish, my never ending nightmare would spread across the cosmos, leaving all it touched in my power." Tentacles twined up and around her legs, just barely touching so she wouldn't notice it happening.

Her eyes went wide in horror. "It would make more of you."

"Yes," the voice hissed.

"The other prisons. Were they people you infected?"

"They are... slivers of me." The tentacles tightened swiftly, two more grabbing her wrists and holding her arms tight. He slithered up close to her, looking down as she pulled against the binds. "No need to struggle. I only wish to know why you enthrall me so."

Her face twisted in anger. "How dare you use a friend's body to assault me! Crow!"

The exemplar appeared, but instead of a bulky ninja, a well dressed, and very familiar, skeleton monster with a set of familiar cracks in his skull appeared. The thing froze, staring at him, before it's tentacles slipped away from Ossein and she stumbled, leaning against the wall for support. The thing stared at Crow as he frowned at it in disdain. I could feel it pulling away from my body, looking to take Crow instead.

Crow's frown deepened. "Let go of my friend."

"In exchange for you? Gladly!"

"No!" Ossein barked, moving between them, arms held out.

It loomed over her. "Are you offering yourself?"

"Do not touch her."

It looked back to Crow. "If she will not let me have you and you will not let me have her, we are at an impasse." A rift in the world opened behind it and we were tumbling into darkness.

Ossein reached for me. "Bones!" She caught hold of my wrist and was pulled into the void, Crow following after her.

A tentacle wrapped around her arm pulling her toward it and wrapping her up. "Why?! Why do you fascinate me so?!"

Crow grabbed a hold of the tentacle. "Isn't it obvious?" It pulled, tearing the tentacle apart. "It's me."

The thing hissed loudly as a piece of itself was torn away. Ossein was still reaching for me, even as Crow pulled her back down into the timeline. It struggled against losing another piece of it's body until it lay exhausted. This time it stayed awake. Instead, I was exhausted, barely staying conscious.

"If he is the reason she fascinates me. Then truly holding onto you would be a better option, wouldn't it?"

It reached for my soul and my phone rang. It froze, listening to the sound.

I knew that one day Fase's refusal to let my phone simply vibrate when she called would bite me in the ass. And today was that day. Fuck.

It pulled my phone from my pocket, staring at the lock screen photo of Frisk dressed as Lulu from Final Fantasy X, a picture from last Halloween. He blinked at the device for a moment, unsure what to make of it before crushing it, destroying my only life line. God damn it!

Out of nowhere, a net of blue strings wrapped around us before closing completely.

Fase hadn't been calling me. She'd been signalling Error.

The balled net swung around, sending us flying the direction of a timeline. As the thing engulfed my soul, I hoped that meant containment was ready. I almost smiled at the familiar feel of a true possession, something I had some power to fight. And it didn't realize that it'd traded it's fascination with Ossein to fascination for my Sunflower. We impacted the ground in the middle of a field of golden grass. It struggled with the net, the nature of Error's strings causing pieces of it to glitch and work improperly. I could see a small team waiting for it to disentangle itself, not wanting to risk a glitch from touching the strings. When it finally pulled itself out, it lurched to one side, unsteady. I was still trapped within it, but instead of using my body as a puppet, it simply held my body inside itself.

King Chara and Cross went for it at the same time. It wasn't ready to have two people attacking it so suddenly and fell backwards, hitting the ground with something like a splash. A tentacle shot out toward Cross and he grabbed it, cutting it off and throwing the piece toward Mage Frisk. She caught it in some spell, her eyes glowing a bright gold. The thing recovered quickly, wrapping up both Cross and His Majesty before flinging them aside. Cross rolled across the grass to his feet, and watched as it stood to it's full height.

It looked around for a moment, realized it was trapped, and decided against remaining. It reached up with one dripping hand to rend the void and froze before howling loudly. It couldn't escape. Only a few people had the kind of power to stop something that can rend void. It spun around, found Blue, and went right for him with a high keen. Blue shrugged, hands in his pockets, and teleported just as it got to him, leaving the thing to slam into the red bone barrier Red erected in Blue's place. Frisk and 01 took over, using foam core to lock us down while it was stunned.

Ah, there she was. My soul thrummed just seeing her and it caught the thing's attention. It stilled for a moment under all the hardened foam and 01 approached cautiously, only to jump back when multiple tentacles jabbed out of the foam like spikes. The foam core cracked apart and exploded outward. The team members covered their faces with their arms and waited for the debris to pass before chancing another look. It reared up and Ossein whistled at it, attempting to get it's attention. It looked at her and smiled for a moment, before slamming her into the ground with a stray tentacle.

It cackled loudly, feeling that it was finally free. Ossein pulled a long knife from her boot and sliced the tentacle off. Rolling backwards to find her feet, she flung the tentacle piece to Mage Frisk. It didn't attack Mage Frisk or attempt to retrieve it's piece. Could it not see her? I made a point of ignoring her so it wouldn't be clued in to her presence.

Crow appeared, not as the Gaster we saw earlier, but as the hulking ninja we'd always known, and slammed the thing in the face, knocking it down. Not giving it a chance to recover, he dropped a heel right on it's smile. "How dare you attack her?!"

Time to start showing this thing a bad time.

It grabbed Crow's leg and flipped him backward so that he crashed to the grassy ground. It turned back to Ossein and I exerted my will, holding completely still. It took two shots of foam core directly to the chest, courtesy of my Sunflower, locking its arms. It looked over at her and sighed happily. And then shuddered violently. I grabbed control for a moment, pulling at it until it hit the ground.

Frisks eyes narrowed. "It's fully possessing Bones now." She fired twice more, locking down it's legs. "Come on, Bones! Throw it off!"

It broke through the foam and swirled up impossibly tall, to advance on her. "Why? Why am I now so fascinated by you instead?!"

"Are you that oblivious? That's my husband you're possessing." She took aim. "And possession always translates to fascination. You didn't get rid of your problem. You just exchanged object of affection." She fired directly into its face, encasing the head with its slash of a smile. It reached up, trying to pull the foam away from it's face and I fought it's motion, making it impossible for it to pull the foam away. Dropping the gun, she pulled out the sword Inky had made her and sliced off a goopy arm. King Chara followed up with the same, taking off a chunk of the thing's base as it struggled with the foam core.

Mage Frisk took those pieces and, combining them with the others, threw them in a large crystalline container. The new prison. Ossein, Crow, and Cross grabbed the thing as best they could, dragging it toward the new prison. It twisted against them, still fighting with the foam stuck to its face while I kept him from prying it off. Crow lifted it completely off the ground and slammed it into the prison, Red holding it down while a spell matrix within the prison itself glowed brightly and took hold. The thing fell into a deep slumber and it's exhaustion collided with mine. I just wanted to sleep.

I felt someone taking my hand. "Come on, Bones! Wake up and get out of there!"

Frisk. She needed me to get up. She sounded worried. Yeah. Sleep could wait. I sat up from within the goop with some difficulty, holding tightly to Frisk's hand. The thing held just as tightly to my soul. Red and Blue both reached in, pulling the goo of the thing away from me. They managed to get me up and I let go of Frisk to fall on all fours, panting with the effort to throw it off. Even asleep, it wouldn't let go, still grasping at my soul. I wrenched myself away. There was one final tear and I heard a sound like glass cracking.

Oh no. I hit the ground feeling like I was going to shatter into a million pieces.

Frisk dived at me, quickly grabbing my cracked soul in her hands, and pouring every bit of of her determination into containing it. "Don't leave me!"

"Oh no!" Ossein squeaked. "What do we do?"

Mage Frisk knelt next to Frisk. "She'll pass out at this rate." She placed her hands around Frisk's, carefully cupping them, eyes closing for a moment. She frowned deeply. "I can't heal this. His soul is not simply cracked. His life force is being sucked out through it." She moved her hands to Frisk's back, her fingers glowed as they rested against the black jacket.

"What are you doing?" Cross asked.

"Adding my Determination to hers."

Red kicked Blue's foot. "*do something, boss man."

Blue nodded, hands in his pockets. He disappeared for several long minutes. I reached up weakly, touching Frisk's face, one boney finger trailing down her cheek. Her eyes were half closed, only vaguely aware of anything other than keeping my soul, and therefore my body, in one piece. Cross and Ossein knelt next to Mage Frisk, putting their hands on Frisk's back, offering their Determination as well. When Blue returned, it was with Sophia and a very skeletal Brandon.

"DAD!" Both of them hit the ground on their hands and knees next to me.

"Mom? What's happening?" Sophia's hand touched her mother's shoulder, but Frisk didn't answer.

Blue sat next to them. "*when you were both conceived, your mom and dad both gave you pieces of themselves. and that piece that your dad gave you? you can use that to help him and he needs it right now."

Brandon blinked boney eye sockets. "How?"

"*put your hands on dad's ribs and think real hard about how you want his soul to be in one piece. i'll handle the rest, okay?"

The kids nodded, each resting their hands on my rib cage, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. Blue put a hand on either kids' heads and a bright, alternating blue and yellow light erupted in his left eye socket. The kids' eyes opened, glowing the same bright blue as my magic. That blue glow encircled my soul, filling it with the distinct warmth of love, family, and the slightest twinge of the two times Frisk's connection to me had produced real fruit. The cracks were filling and instead of feeling like I was going to shatter, I felt light, airy.

"*there we go. he's going to be just fine."

Mage Frisk reached around Frisk, gently pulling her hands away. "It's all right. You can relax."

Frisk let out the breath she was holding and collapsed against Mage Frisk's chest. My soul dropped back into my rib cage and disappeared, nestling back within me. Sophia and Brandon blinked rapidly, the blue glow disappearing from their eyes. They both looked down at me and squealed, tackling me with a hug as I attempted to sort of sit up. Frisk gave me a tired smile and I winked at her from over the kids' heads.

01 closed the prison, fixing the lock in place. With a deep sigh of relief, he called for a retrieval team to take it away to Site Alpha. He walked up behind Ossein as she stood, a little unsteady from pouring her DT into my wife. Putting his arms around her waist, he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Cheese fries at Grillbys?"

She sighed. "Oh God, yes. I really need to eat right now."

"I bet."

Red stepped over to Cross. "*come on, piss ant. let's get the love birds and their chicks back home."

"Got it. Hey Brandon and Sophia. Let's give your mom and dad some space."

The kids both pouted at Cross and he waived them over, picking them both up. Blue put a hand on his shoulder and they disappeared. Mage Frisk helped my wife get up just enough for her to fall on my chest, exhausted. I put my arms around her, holding her tightly while I studied her face. Her expression was different, like something had changed in her and had changed for the better. I craned my neck a bit to nuzzle the top of her head.

"You all right, Babe?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

I smiled. "We should get home before we both pass out."

Frisk nodded, but didn't move until Red reached down to help her stand. "*come on, sugar puss." He held out a hand to me and I took it, letting him pull us into the void and take us home. We landed in the hallway outside our apartment. Princess Frisk hugged Sophia fiercely in the hall, Paps watching them with a worried smile.

He looked at us. "MY BROTHER?"

"Hey, Paps."

He let out a long breath shoulders drooping and lifted me up into a tight hug.

I chuckled. "You didn't miss me too much, right?"

He set me down to rest his skull against mine, bringing up one hand to rest on the back of my neck. "WELCOME HOME."

I patted his back with both hands. "It's good to be home."

Paps pulled back to help Frisk and I walk back to our apartment. "GET CLEANED UP WHILE I MAKE YOU BOTH SOMETHING TO EAT."

"Thanks, Paps."

"DO NOT MENTION IT."

"*you kids going to be okay on your feet?" Red asked.

Frisk nodded. "I've got enough left in me to shower and eat before I pass out."

"You hope," C quipped.

Frisk and I helped each other to the bathroom while my brother went into the kitchen. As soon as the door shut, Frisk pulled me against her, tongue taking a lick at my mandible. I bent my head to hers, claiming her mouth. Her hands pulled at my jacket and I let it hit the floor before bringing my hands up to cup her face.

C's voice came over us. "I really don't want to interrupt you two, but Frisk really, REALLY, doesn't have the energy for this."

"C..."

"I'm using my determination to keep you on your feet right now. Get a shower, eat, and get to bed. Both of you."

"Yes, Sir," I quipped.

After eating and being assured that Paps could handle the kids, I curled up with Frisk in bed. I woke in the morning wondering why my phone alarm hadn't gone off. Oh yeah. Right. Phone's gone. I'll have to say something to Fase about replacing it. I sighed. And realized that someone else was in bed with us. I reached back, hooking an arm around Sophia and putting her between Frisk and I. And right next to Brandon, who'd managed to crawl in between us at some point. Frisk still looked pretty out.

"Hey, C? You up?"

C's hologram projected on Frisk's shoulder. "Yeah." He sat down.

"What's up with Frisk? Somethings different. Not bad different. Good different. But still different."

"You know how I always talk about other Frisk's being in her head and that one of them is her 'Viper self?'"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Cross talked the Viper back into the cabin and she's just another part of Frisk in here. Not hidden away or kept at a distance. Just here."

I laid back, thinking about that for a bit. "So what's on the schedule for today?"

C snorted. "Party. Duh. Do we ever not have a party after sorting out a big problem? Asriel's already organizing the caterers for a pretty sweet spread at lunch. Other than that, nothing."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Keeping her sane."

C smiled. "Cross did the heavy lifting this time." He disappeared.

I shrugged, smiling a little as I got up. I wandered into the living room just in time to answer a knock at the door. Ossein stood there in her pajamas, Crow standing behind her in the form of his former self.

"Morning, kiddo. How were the cheese fries?"

An expression of absolute bliss came over her face. "Oh my God, Bones. They were the best thing ever! I hadn't realized how much I wanted them until I had that first bite." She stepped to the side. "Crow wanted to see you."

Crow sighed, smile apologetic. "I am so very sorry that my foolish experiment continued to haunt everyone long after it should have been taken care of. I never meant to put anyone in danger, least of all you."

I waved him off. "No need to apologize. I'm not the man you once knew."

"No. You are most certainly a much better one." He disappeared, leaving me blinking.

Ossein shrugged and then hugged me tightly. "I'm glad you're back safe."

I rubbed her head. "I'm glad to be back too, Shooting Star."

xxx

Author's note: And that's it for season four!

Now that this is done, I will be focusing hardcore on a collaboration with RoyalTale creator MarieStrider to put the story behind RoyalTale into words. As soon as we finish that story, it will go online a piece at a time with associated art. I've already finished the first two chapters and OMG, reading them makes me cry and I WROTE THEM! XD

After that... I don't know? What do you guys want to read? More Core Issues and/or something non-Core Issues related? Would you like some high fantasy with Necromancer Sans? Some historical fiction with the Ancient Egyptian Sans? More ColonyTale or Steampunk Adventures? Or would you like something for any specific character? I'm sure some of you like to know what was on that 'empty' scroll the griffins gave Church back in season three. Speaking of that episode, would you like to see more of the Army!Frisks doing stuff together? Or is there something non-Undertale you would like to read? Let me know in the comments and send me some PMs.

But other than that: let me know if you liked what you've read with a comment/review and/or kudos!


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